AMC has announced that the fifth and final season of Hell on Wheels will kick off at 9pm on Saturday, July 18th.

There are 14 episodes in the season. Seven will air this summer and the final seven will run next year.

Here’s the press release:

AMC’S “HELL ON WHEELS” SEASON 5 TO PREMIERE SATURDAY, JULY 18 AT 9:00PM ET/PT

Fifth and Final Season of AMC’s Saturday Night Mainstay Will Explore the Battle between the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads

NEW YORK, NY – May 28, 2015 – AMC’s Western drama “Hell on Wheels” will return for the first half of its fifth and final season on Saturday, July 18 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Seven new episodes will air this summer, with the final seven episodes of the series following in 2016.

Starring Anson Mount and Colm Meaney, “Hell on Wheels” examines the institutionalized greed and corruption behind the building of America’s Transcontinental Railroad as loyalties are abandoned and the race between the Central Pacific and Union Pacific lines intensifies. “Hell on Wheels” opened up a new night of original programming for AMC on Saturdays – traditionally known as the most challenging night of the week for television – with the show’s fourth season increasing the network’s Saturday primetime average 121% in viewers in live+same day ratings. Season four of “Hell on Wheels” averaged 3.3 million viewers in live+3 ratings, which include three days of time-shifted viewing.

In season 5, Cullen Bohannon (Mount) finds himself a stranger in a strange land – the mountain town of Truckee, Calif., home to the Central Pacific Railroad. This rough railroad town teems with thousands of Chinese workers, foreign in language, culture and traditions. Despite the challenges of corralling his new workforce, Cullen leads the Herculean effort to tunnel through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, sometimes achieving only inches a day in the race to complete the first Transcontinental Railroad.

“‘Hell on Wheels’ continues to be an epic journey in every way,” said Joel Stillerman, AMC’s executive vice president of programming, production and digital content. “The amazing and passionate team of writers, producers, cast and crew, led by John Wirth, are pulling out all the stops to make this final season as compelling, dramatic and intense as the actual building of the railroad was. We’re incredibly excited to share this part of the story with the large and loyal audience who have supported this show from the beginning.”

“Hell on Wheels” is executive produced by showrunner John Wirth (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” “Falling Skies,” “The Cape”); Paul Kurta (“Veronica Mars,” Empire Records); Michael Rosenberg (“Hung”); and Jeremy Gold, EVP Creative Affairs, for Endemol Shine Studios. Entertainment One Television’s (eOne) Debra Curtis, SVP Current Programming, and David Shafer, VP Production, oversee production in partnership with producers Mike Frislev and Chad Oakes from Nomadic Pictures. In addition to Mount and Meaney, “Hell on Wheels” stars Christopher Heyerdahl, Robin McLeavy, Jennifer Ferrin, Phil Burke and Dohn Norwood, and welcomes new series regulars Tim Guinee, Reg Rogers, Byron Mann and Tzi Ma.

eOne is the worldwide distributor, with the exception of Europe, where “Hell on Wheels” is distributed by Endemol Shine International. As a leading international content distributor, eOne also handles worldwide rights for DVD/Blu-ray, VOD and digital distribution. The “Hell on Wheels” season 4 DVD will be available for purchase beginning August 11, 2015.

Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade, or creating acclaimed original programming, AMC brings to its audience something deeper, something richer, Something More. The network reigns as the only cable network in history ever to win the Emmy(R) Award for Outstanding Drama Series four years in a row with “Mad Men,” and six of the last seven with current back-to-back honoree, “Breaking Bad.” The network boasts the most-watched drama series in basic cable history and the number one show on television among adults 18-49 for the last three years with “The Walking Dead.” AMC’s original drama series include “Mad Men,” “The Walking Dead,” “Better Call Saul,” “Hell on Wheels,” “TURN: Washington’s Spies,” “Halt and Catch Fire,” and the forthcoming “Humans,” “The Making of The Mob: New York,” “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Into the Badlands” and “The Night Manager.” AMC also explores authentic worlds and discussion with original shows like “Talking Dead” and “Comic Book Men.” AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, SundanceTV, BBC America and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Something More.

About Entertainment One

Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company’s comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Spain, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea. Through established Film and Television divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming, merchandising and licensing, and digital content. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 40,000 film and television titles, 4,500 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks. http://www.entertainmentone.com/

About Endemol Shine Studios

Endemol Shine Studios develops and produces original scripted television programming and scripted formats in the U.S. for global exploitation across all platforms. The Los Angeles-based independent scripted television studio operation is part of Endemol Shine North America, the entertainment company that delivers world-class content and compelling storytelling to multiple platforms in the U.S. and across the globe. Endemol Shine North America is part of Endemol Shine Group, the new joint venture bringing together Endemol, Shine and CORE Media, to create a global content creator, producer and distributor with over 600 revenue generating formats across scripted and non-scripted genres. Endemol Shine Studios scripted series in North America include the award-winning and critically acclaimed original drama series “Hell on Wheels” (AMC); “Kingdom” (DirecTV) and the upcoming HBO series “Utopia” from David Fincher.

What do you think? Do you like the Hell on Wheels series? Do you think that year five should be the end or would you watch a sixth season?