Houston Belt and Terminal Railway Company
 |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Union Pacific and BNSF Railway |
| Headquarters | 501 Crawford Street, Room 100, Houston, TX 77002-2113 |
| Dates of operation | 1905– |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
Houston Belt & Terminal Railway Company (HBT) is a terminal and switching railroad and owner of industrial property in Houston, Texas, United States that also formerly operated Houston's Union Station.[1][2][3] It was incorporated on August 31, 1905[4]. Construction began that year, and the HB&T was initially owned by four line-haul railway companies that it connected with: the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway Company, the Beaumont, Sour Lake and Western Railway Company, the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway Company and the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company.[1] The railroad opened for operations in 1908.[5]
In 1909, the HB&T commissioned the construction and design of Houston Union Station. The station was jointly shared by the Burlington-Rock Island, Missouri Pacific, Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, and the HB&T. Like most railroad stations in the south, Houston Union Station was built with segregated waiting rooms.[6]
By mid 1916, the HB&T operated 23 miles of mainline track and 61 miles of track in total, serving as a vital railroad link within Houston.[7] The HB&T operated two subdivisions: the West Belt Subdivision and the East Belt Subdivision.[8]
As a result of mergers and consolidations in the railway industry, the company's shareholders changed. As of 2024[update], BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad each owned 50% of the company's shares.[9] As of 2023[update], the company is still covered by the Railroad Retirement Act.[10]
The company's archives from 1905 to 1936 are held by History Colorado.[11]
A dispute among railways involving the HB&T was decided by the United States Supreme Court.[12] [13]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "TSHA | Houston Belt and Terminal Railway".
- ↑ Farbar, Jerome Hammond (1913). Houston: Where Seventeen Railroads Meet the Sea. H. H. Tammen Company. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ↑ "RAIL RELIEF FOR HOUSTON; Examiners for I.C.C. Approve Plan for Revised Terminal". The New York Times. January 7, 1950.
- ↑ "Houston Belt & Terminal Railway Company". Open Corporates. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ↑ Association, Texas State Historical. "History of the Houston Belt and Terminal Railway Company". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
- ↑ Houston, A History and Guide. The Anson Jones Press. 1942. p. 260.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ↑ "Houston Belt & Terminal Ry". donsdepot.irm.org. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
- ↑ Houston, Belt & Terminal Company, Timetable #1. Houston, Belt & Terminal Company. June 17, 1990. p. 1.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ↑ "BNSF Railway Company Leased Lines and Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries Class 1 Railroad Annual Report To the Surface Transportation Board For the Year Ending December 31, 2021. 310. Investments and Advances Affiliated Companies" (PDF). BNSF Railway. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- ↑ "Employers Covered Under the Railroad Retirement Act" (PDF). Railroad Retirement Board. February 7, 2023. p. 20.
- ↑ "Houston Belt and Terminal Railway Company Collection, 1905-1936".
- ↑ "HOUSTON BELT & TERMINAL RAILWAY COMPANY, Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, et al., appellants, v. UNITED STATES of America, Interstate Commerce Commission, and Texas & New Orleans Railroad Company".
- ↑ "Houston Belt Terminal Railway Co. V. United States, 153 F. Supp. 3 | Casetext Search + Citator". Archived from the original on April 28, 2023.
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