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The Centralia Union Depot is an Amtrak train station in Centralia, Washington, United States. It is served by the Cascades and Coast Starlight trains.

Centralia, WA
Centralia Union Depot, 2011
General information
Location	210 Railroad Avenue[1] Centralia, Washington United States
Coordinates	46.7174°N 122.9529°W / 46.7174; -122.9529
Owned by	BNSF Railway & City of Centralia[2]
Line(s)	BNSF Seattle Subdivision
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Connections	Twin Transit
Construction
Parking	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: CTL
History
Opened	1912; 110 years ago (1912)[3][2]
Rebuilt	2002; 20 years ago (2002)[2][4]
Passengers
FY 2021	10,039[5] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Kelso toward Eugene–Springfield Amtrak Cascades Olympia-Lacey toward Vancouver, British Columbia Kelso toward Los Angeles Coast Starlight Olympia-Lacey toward Seattle
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Olympia-Lacey toward Seattle Pioneer Discontinued in 1997 Kelso toward Chicago Joint Great Northern/Northern Pacific/ Union Pacific service Preceding station Great Northern Railway Following station Chehalis toward Portland Portland–Seattle Line Bucoda toward Seattle Preceding station Northern Pacific Railway Following station Chehalis toward Portland Portland–Seattle Line Bucoda toward Seattle Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station Chehalis toward Portland Portland–Seattle Line Bucoda toward Seattle
Centralia Union Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	210 Railroad Avenue Centralia, Washington
NRHP reference No.	88000608
Added to NRHP	1988[6]
Location
Centralia, WA Location in Washington Show map of Washington (state) Centralia, WA Location in the United States Show map of the United States

The track and platforms are owned by BNSF Railway. Local transit connections are provided by Twin Transit.

History

The station was constructed by the Northern Pacific Railway (NP) and opened in 1912. It is the third station to have been constructed in Centralia since rail service began in 1880.[7]

The large brick structure was built to accommodate a 400% population boom in the area from 1900 to 1914. Only 2 years after its opening, Centralia Union Depot was being served by 44 passenger trains and 17 freight trains daily. The station faced 14 hotels along Tower Avenue, as well as 5 theaters and 8 banks in the downtown core.[8]

NP later merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) in 1970, and Amtrak began operating passenger rail service on the Seattle–Portland route on May 1, 1971. Amtrak trains initially did not stop in Centralia, but were added during a service change on July 12, 1971.[9] The demise of NP, coupled with increased automobile traffic on Interstate 5 saw the Centralia Union Depot deteriorate, much as the city's downtown core was experiencing economic decline. Local civic leaders recognized the problem during the mid-1980s and began a two-decade project that would see the structure acquired by the city and restored as part of a larger downtown revitalization project.[8]

The 1996 merger of BN with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to form the BNSF Railway (BNSF) spurred both the city and the state Department of Transportation (Rail Branch) to negotiate with BNSF to acquire the depot.[8] Following its purchase, the city began the design process for the historic restoration which took place as follows:

• Phase 1 (1996) consisted of exterior work. Stabilize structure deterioration, restore roof dormers that had been removed, install new tile roof, re-point brick exterior, new utilities, new parking lots at each end of the building.[8]
• Phase 2 (2000) consisted of interior work. New floors, restored mill work and brass fittings, Amtrak ticket office, baggage room, freight room, express building, HVAC, elevator.[8]

The restoration project was completed in April 2002 and celebrated in the city's "Railroad Days" festival.[8]

The depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[10]

References

External links

Media related to Centralia Union Depot at Wikimedia Commons

• Centralia, WA – Amtrak
• Centralia, WA – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Twin Transit website
• waymarking.com - Centralia Union Depot
• Restoration report for Centralia Union Depot - archive.org

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