Today’s post is an update on Amtrak’s move from Union Station to its new temporary station.
I’ll start with Union Station. The first photo below is Amtrak’s ticket window that was shut down on February 4 for about three years. The empty train room feels pretty … well, empty. The second photo is a new wall at the top of the historic tunnel. While the artifacts from the tunnel are being saved, we’ve seen that tunnel for the last time.
The few remaining tracks behind Union Station will be removed soon. Some of the concrete passenger platforms have already been torn up as shown in the first photo below. In the second photo, you can see that a new construction fence prevents access to the other end of the tunnel. Look through the fence and to the right. You can see two excavators that appear to be ready to demolish the tunnel.
Now let’s go to Amtrak’s new temporary train station. The move was originally scheduled for February 1, but weather delayed it for three days. It was simply too cold for workers to move the tracks so they would connect with the tracks at the new passenger platform.
Per David’s request on February 13, I walked over to the station a few minutes before the California Zephyr arrived this morning. David wondered about the size of the station and movement of people boarding the train on the other side of Wewatta Street. Here’s what I observed. The new station has about 150 seats, and about 100 of them were empty this morning so there appears to be ample space. However, Wednesdays may be slow days for Amtrak. The train arrived from Chicago at 9:20 am, two hours late. During the wait, I chatted with an 85-year old passenger from San Francisco who, along with her husband, was visiting their daughter in Boulder. She expressed frustration with trying to find the new station by car. Luckily the train was late, or they might have missed it. In answer to one of my questions, she said that she prefers Union Station to the temporary station. No surprise, but the seats at the new station certainly look more comfortable than the old wooden benches. She and her husband boarded first and were driven to the train in what I would call a station wagon version of a golf cart. I left before the general boarding. Crossing Wewatta Street is probably a non-event with a new traffic light and crosswalk.
Here are two photos of my time at the station. The first one is the Zephyr parked at the new passenger platform. The second shows arriving passengers getting their bags in the parking lot in front of the station. There is a roller conveyor inside the station that is probably used in bad weather.
I think this post gets you up to date on the progress at Union Station. I’ll be back in a few days with reports of new activity as it happens.
As usual, I’ve posted additional photos on our Denver Union Station page at JobSiteVistor.com.
Thanks so much – Exactly the information I was curious about.
I travel using Amtrak as much as I am able….. not afraid to fly, just prefer the train…. and Denver Union Station has been one of my favorite destinations since working with a youth group in Denver in the mid-1980’s.
I’m excited by what’s going on in Denver now and am thrilled that Union Station will continue to be a part of it.
Is it difficult to park around the new station?
Greg, I intended to comment on parking in yesterday’s post, but I forgot. Thanks for the reminder. I counted about ten empty parking spots at peak time yesterday. The entire site of the building and parking lot is small. However, they utilized it well including the use of a non-paved area under the elevated HOV lane.
Brilliant update! Thanks 🙂
It sucks that they closed the tunnel. 🙁
What was the reasoning to close the tunnel. Was there no way to incorporate it into the new plan? I understand it was built as more of a cut with bridges, but demolishing existing underground pedestrian infrastructure doesn’t seem to be intuitive to the project as a whole.
If you get around to it, could you please shoot a picture of the interior of the temporary terminal?
Great update(s). Thank you again for all you’re doing for us starved readers.
The short story on the tunnel goes something like this: the tunnel was doomed from the beginning. The original plan had the train shed underground, but that proved far too costly. Now, the underground bus terminal needs the same space as the tunnel. The tunnel could not be worked into the expanded use of the site that now includes buses, light rail, commuter rail, along with the historic use for long distance passenger trains.
You may want to use the search feature of this site to review previous blogs and comments on the topic. You will get dozens of interesting hits.
As a frequent rider of Amtrak, I do miss old waiting area. It was open, well lit, and rather subdued, making it easy to read or relax prior to boarding. The new location, on busier days, is loud and cramped. TVs on the wall provide further distraction and when it is time to board, there is no clear organization for cueing up for the conductor, unlike in Union Station.
That said, it is temporary, and I’d rather them spend the money on the final product rather than the temporary station. As it is only 3 years of hassle, I think we will all be able to deal with it while we await the Union Station upgrades. However, it sure would be nice to have some big graphics on the walls of the temporary station to remind us what we are waiting for.
Can you tell me where a person can park when boarding the train? I don’t want to “hope” there will be a space available. Thank you