Passenger Trains > Denver Union Station opens February 18

Denver Union Station nears completion for Amtrak's return February 18, 2014. Amtrak train #6 is expected to the first train to use the middle tracks at the redeveloped station Denver, Colorado. Track work will be changed so Amtrak reenters Denver Regional Transportation District owned station the evening of February 18th.

Temporary Denver Amtrak depot (Wewatta & 20th Street) will be discontinued just north of Union Station at that time.

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The entity once known as "Denver Unions Station". Now nothing more than a glorified bus station. Nothing like ensuring your options are limited for expansion and through routes.

Disagree. The new Denver Union Station has 8 tracks for heavy rail, regional bus station, and light rail. There will now be space for private cars, and there would also be space for the Ski Train if it still ran. Except for the few of us who are railfans, people who are looking for transportation want the various modes to connect to facilitate whatever trips they may be taking. Denver Union Station will be the hub of public transportation in Denver.

BSB

Much better to modernize an existing station (as is common in other countries--think of the massive renovations to Tokyo Central that retained the old headhouse and hotel, or what's happening in Vienna) than tear it down or abandon it and replace it with a piece of junk

came close to losing tracks under mayor's pena's administration

So is the old Union Station building still accessible to Amtrak passengers, or has it been turned into something other than a train station?

Ptolemy Wrote:
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> Much better to modernize an existing station (as
> is common in other countries--think of the massive
> renovations to Tokyo Central that retained the old
> headhouse and hotel, or what's happening in
> Vienna) than tear it down or abandon it and
> replace it with a piece of junk


Actually Vienna is a complete teardown and rebuild. The dual stub-ended Wien-Sudbahnhof was completely torn down, and is being replaced with a brand new through "Wien-Hauptbahnhof" of very modern architecture. Personally, I'm not that impressed with the new design, but compared to the old Sudbahnhof, or the existing Westbanhhof station buildings (both pretty utilitarian), it might be an improvement......

NewRiverGeorge Wrote:
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> So is the old Union Station building still
> accessible to Amtrak passengers, or has it been
> turned into something other than a train station?


It is in the process of being renovated and is projected to open back up as a transit center (including bus, commuter/light rail and Amtrak) in May. In the interim period, I am not sure where Amtrak passengers are going to go to check baggage and wait to board the train...

Kevin Morgan
Arvada, CO
ColoradoRailfan.com

So the project developers have talked the planners and city into turning the original DUS into a hotel and commercial center, pushing rail ops into the background.
Great.

ColoradoRailfan Wrote:
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> NewRiverGeorge Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > So is the old Union Station building still
> > accessible to Amtrak passengers, or has it been
> > turned into something other than a train
> station?
>
>
> It is in the process of being renovated and is
> projected to open back up as a transit center
> (including bus, commuter/light rail and Amtrak) in
> May. In the interim period, I am not sure where
> Amtrak passengers are going to go to check baggage
> and wait to board the train...


Amtrak Passengers will check-in, check baggage, and wait for the train inside Union Station. The Amtrak area will be ready, with a temporary entrance setup in the South Wing of the building on Feb. 18. There is also a temporary waiting room setup until the Great Hall opens in May/June. It won't be pretty, but it'll get the job done until the rest of the renovation is completed. flickr.com/rovertrain has a few photos of the interior of Union Station as of last week.

rovertrain Wrote:
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> Amtrak Passengers will check-in, check baggage,
> and wait for the train inside Union Station. The
> Amtrak area will be ready, with a temporary
> entrance setup in the South Wing of the building
> on Feb. 18. There is also a temporary waiting room
> setup until the Great Hall opens in May/June. It
> won't be pretty, but it'll get the job done until
> the rest of the renovation is completed.
> flickr.com/rovertrain has a few photos of the
> interior of Union Station as of last week.


Excellent! Thank you for the information.

Kevin Morgan
Arvada, CO
ColoradoRailfan.com

Once completed, will the common people and railfans be able to take photographs on the platforms, or will it be the same railfan unfrienfly RTD as in the past?

Posted from Android

A very valuable part of the Denver station complex will be the terminal service for the new airport line, it may end up as the best downtown-airport link in the nation. It is very fast and has few stops.
And once airline passengers and employees are a DUS they can connect to a wide variety of local transportation.
If we can't go back to the "Golden Age" then this may about the best outcome we could hope for.

railstiesballast Wrote:
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> A very valuable part of the Denver station complex
> will be the terminal service for the new airport
> line, it may end up as the best downtown-airport
> link in the nation. It is very fast and has few
> stops.
> And once airline passengers and employees are a
> DUS they can connect to a wide variety of local
> transportation.
> If we can't go back to the "Golden Age" then this
> may about the best outcome we could hope for.

And let's not forget that once air or rail passengers get to Denver Union Station, all they will need to do is take an elevator upstairs to their hotel room. The two or three restaurants and bar on the first floor will serve rail and air passengers as well as hotel guests.