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Union Station (Denver)
Encyclopedia
Union Station is Denver, Colorado
, USA
's historic train station at 17th and Wynkoop in the LoDo
district. The station first opened in 1881.
, which connected Denver to the main transcontinental
line at Cheyenne, Wyoming
. By 1875, there were four different railroad stations, making passenger transfers between different railroad lines inconvenient. To remedy this issue, the Union Pacific Railroad
proposed creating one central "Union Station" to combine the various operations. In February 1880, the owners of the four lines (the Union Pacific, the Denver & Rio Grande Western
, the Denver, South Park & Pacific
, and the Colorado Central
) agreed to build a station at 17th and Wynkoop Streets. Architect A. Taylor of Kansas City
was hired to develop the plans, and the station opened in May 1881.
A fire in 1894 destroyed the central portion of the 1881 depot. The Kansas City architectural firm of Van Brunt & Howe was hired to design a larger replacement depot in the Romanesque style
. Both the 1881 and 1894 depots included a tall central clock tower with four clock faces.
In 1912, the original Union Depot partnership was dissolved and replaced by the Denver Terminal Railway Company, representing the then-major operators of the station (the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe
, the Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy
, the Chicago, Rock Island, & Pacific
, the Colorado & Southern
, the Union Pacific, and the Denver & Rio Grande Westen). The new partnership decided to demolish and rebuild the central portion of the station to handle the increasing passenger traffic. The new central portion, designed by Denver architects Gove & Walsh, was built in the Beaux-Arts style and opened in 1914.
, which has since operated only one train daily between Chicago
and the Bay Area, routed through Denver. Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad's Ski Train
was operated until the end of the winter of 2008–2009, at which time the operation was discontinued. In September 2009 plans were announced to revive the service as a special limited route beginning in December, but this did not happen due to insurance problems. Current passenger services include:
The station also serves the once a year Cheyenne Frontier Days Train, usually pulled by Union Pacific's steam locomotive 844, the last steam locomotive built for the UP. The train runs between Union Station and Cheyenne, Wyoming
for the Frontier Days Rodeo event.
Of the nine Colorado stations served by Amtrak, Denver was the busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 350 passengers daily.
, the station and the surrounding 19.5 acres (79,000 m²) will soon be the hub of Denver's new FasTracks
rail network, under the Regional Transportation District
's master plan for the station site, officially known as the Denver Union Terminal. Eight teams of prominent architects, developers and engineers competed in 2002 for the massive contract to redevelop the station into a transit-oriented
retail, office and residential complex, with a budget in the range of $900 million.
On July 30, 2010, the US Department of Transportation announced that the station had received a $300 million grant to construct three light-rail tracks and eight heavy-rail tracks for both intercity and commuter rail services, as well as additional storage and servicing capabilities. The underground bus terminal is under construction and will be open before the opening of FasTracks' West Corridor light rail line to Golden, Colorado
. All West Corridor trains will utilize Union Station, and will not travel through the downtown light rail loop.
On February 1, 2011, Amtrak's passenger station and boarding platform was moved to a temporary station at 21st and Wewatta streets, behind Coors Field
, in order to allow construction of the commuter rail tracks and platforms. This temporary relocation is scheduled to last until spring 2014, at which time Amtrak's services will move back to the newly constructed passenger area behind Denver Union Station.
The new light rail station opened on August 15th, 2011. The new location is west of the former light rail stations, and is adjacent to the consolidated main line railroad tracks and near the Denver Millennium Bridge
. The westernmost stop of the 16th Street Mall
shuttle, also known as the MallRide, was also moved west and is adjacent to the new light rail stop.
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's historic train station at 17th and Wynkoop in the LoDo
LoDo
LoDo, Denver is the lower downtown area of Denver, Colorado, the oldest and original settlement of the city of Denver. It is a mixed-use historic district, known for its nightlife, and serves as an example of success in urban reinvestment and revitalization...
district. The station first opened in 1881.
History
Denver's first train station was constructed in 1868 to serve the new Denver Pacific RailwayDenver Pacific Railway
The Denver Pacific Railway was a historic railroad that operated in the western United States during the late 19th century.Formed in 1867 in the Colorado Territory, the company operated lines in Colorado and present-day southeastern Wyoming in the 1870s until merging with the Kansas Pacific and...
, which connected Denver to the main transcontinental
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
line at Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
. By 1875, there were four different railroad stations, making passenger transfers between different railroad lines inconvenient. To remedy this issue, the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
proposed creating one central "Union Station" to combine the various operations. In February 1880, the owners of the four lines (the Union Pacific, the Denver & Rio Grande Western
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
, the Denver, South Park & Pacific
Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad
The Denver, South Park, and Pacific Railroad was a historic narrow gauge railway that operated in Colorado in the western United States in the late 19th century. The railroad opened up the first rail routes to a large section of the central Colorado mining district in the decades of the mineral boom...
, and the Colorado Central
Colorado Central Railroad
The Colorado Central Railroad was a U.S. railroad company that operated in Colorado and southeastern Wyoming in the late 19th century. Originally founded in the Colorado Territory in the wake of the Colorado Gold Rush to ship gold from the mountains, it eventually expanded from its initial...
) agreed to build a station at 17th and Wynkoop Streets. Architect A. Taylor of Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
was hired to develop the plans, and the station opened in May 1881.
A fire in 1894 destroyed the central portion of the 1881 depot. The Kansas City architectural firm of Van Brunt & Howe was hired to design a larger replacement depot in the Romanesque style
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
. Both the 1881 and 1894 depots included a tall central clock tower with four clock faces.
In 1912, the original Union Depot partnership was dissolved and replaced by the Denver Terminal Railway Company, representing the then-major operators of the station (the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
, the Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
, the Chicago, Rock Island, & Pacific
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
, the Colorado & Southern
Colorado and Southern Railway
The Colorado and Southern Railway was a railroad company in the western United States that operated independently from 1898 to 1908, then as part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad until it was absorbed into the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1981.The railway began as the...
, the Union Pacific, and the Denver & Rio Grande Westen). The new partnership decided to demolish and rebuild the central portion of the station to handle the increasing passenger traffic. The new central portion, designed by Denver architects Gove & Walsh, was built in the Beaux-Arts style and opened in 1914.
Current activity
During its heyday, the station was served by 80 daily trains operated by six different railroads; however, most of this was terminated at the time of the formation of AmtrakAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, which has since operated only one train daily between Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and the Bay Area, routed through Denver. Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad's Ski Train
Ski Train
The Ski Train was a seasonal passenger railroad operated by Rio Grande Scenic Railroad in the period 1940-2009. Starting in 1988, the train was operated by the Ansco Investment Company, which had in turn purchased the Ski Train franchise from the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in that...
was operated until the end of the winter of 2008–2009, at which time the operation was discontinued. In September 2009 plans were announced to revive the service as a special limited route beginning in December, but this did not happen due to insurance problems. Current passenger services include:
- AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's California ZephyrCalifornia ZephyrThe California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California... - C LineC Line (RTD)The C Line—also referred to as the Orange Line, because the line is colored orange on maps—is a light rail line which is part of the light rail system operated by the Regional Transportation District in the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area in Colorado. The line was added to the system on...
and E LineE Line (RTD)The E Line, sometimes known as the Purple Line, is part of the light rail system operated by the Regional Transportation District in the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area in Colorado. The line was added to the system on November 17, 2006, with the completion of the Southeast Corridor project . It is...
light railLight railLight rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
routes.
The station also serves the once a year Cheyenne Frontier Days Train, usually pulled by Union Pacific's steam locomotive 844, the last steam locomotive built for the UP. The train runs between Union Station and Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
for the Frontier Days Rodeo event.
Of the nine Colorado stations served by Amtrak, Denver was the busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 350 passengers daily.
Redevelopment
Under a public/private consortiumPublic-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
, the station and the surrounding 19.5 acres (79,000 m²) will soon be the hub of Denver's new FasTracks
FasTracks
FasTracks is a twelve-year, $6.5 billion public transportation expansion plan for the Denver-Aurora and Boulder metropolitan areas in Colorado, USA, developed by the Regional Transportation District...
rail network, under the Regional Transportation District
Regional Transportation District
The Regional Transportation District, or RTD, was organized in 1969 and is the regional authority operating public transit services in eight of the twelve counties in the Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area in Colorado. RTD is governed by a 15-member, publicly elected Board of...
's master plan for the station site, officially known as the Denver Union Terminal. Eight teams of prominent architects, developers and engineers competed in 2002 for the massive contract to redevelop the station into a transit-oriented
Transit-oriented development
A transit-oriented development is a mixed-use residential or commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport, and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership...
retail, office and residential complex, with a budget in the range of $900 million.
On July 30, 2010, the US Department of Transportation announced that the station had received a $300 million grant to construct three light-rail tracks and eight heavy-rail tracks for both intercity and commuter rail services, as well as additional storage and servicing capabilities. The underground bus terminal is under construction and will be open before the opening of FasTracks' West Corridor light rail line to Golden, Colorado
Golden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
. All West Corridor trains will utilize Union Station, and will not travel through the downtown light rail loop.
On February 1, 2011, Amtrak's passenger station and boarding platform was moved to a temporary station at 21st and Wewatta streets, behind Coors Field
Coors Field
Coors Field, located in Denver, Colorado, is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995...
, in order to allow construction of the commuter rail tracks and platforms. This temporary relocation is scheduled to last until spring 2014, at which time Amtrak's services will move back to the newly constructed passenger area behind Denver Union Station.
The new light rail station opened on August 15th, 2011. The new location is west of the former light rail stations, and is adjacent to the consolidated main line railroad tracks and near the Denver Millennium Bridge
Denver Millennium Bridge
The Denver Millennium Bridge is the world’s first cable-stayed bridge using its post-tensioned structural construction. Its 200-foot white tapered steel mast rises above Denver’s northwestern skyline, connected to the bridge deck and foundation anchors by steel cables...
. The westernmost stop of the 16th Street Mall
16th Street Mall
The 16th Street Mall is a pedestrian and transit mall in Denver, Colorado. The mall, 1.25 miles long, runs along 16th Street in downtown Denver, from Wewatta Street to the intersection of 16th Avenue and Broadway...
shuttle, also known as the MallRide, was also moved west and is adjacent to the new light rail stop.