Centralia station (Washington)

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

Not to be confused with Centralia station (Illinois).
Centralia, WA
Centralia Union Depot, 2011
General information
Location210 Railroad Avenue[1]
Centralia, Washington
United States
Coordinates46.7174°N 122.9529°W / 46.7174; -122.9529
Owned byBNSF Railway & City of Centralia[2]
Line(s)BNSF Seattle Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
ConnectionsTwin Transit
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: CTL
History
Opened1912 (1912)[3][2]
Rebuilt2002 (2002)[2][4]
Passengers
FY 202216,339[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
Location210 Railroad Avenue
Centralia, Washington
NRHP reference No.88000608
Added to NRHP1988[6]
Location
Centralia, WA is located in Washington (state)
Centralia, WA
Centralia, WA
Location in Washington
Centralia, WA is located in the United States
Centralia, WA
Centralia, WA
Location in 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
  1. "Centralia, WA (CTL)". amtrak.com. Amtrak. Retrieved 12 Jan 2014.
  2. "Great American Stations: Centralia, WA (CTL)". greatamericanstations.com. Amtrak. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 12 Jan 2014.
  3. "Centralia". www.amtrakcascades.com. Amtrak. Retrieved 12 Jan 2014.
  4. "Amtrak Cascades Ridership and Station On-Off Information" (PDF). www.wsdot.wa.gov. Washington State Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 12 Jan 2014.
  5. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Washington" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  6. "National Register of Historical Places: Listings in Lewis County". www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com. American Dreams Inc. Retrieved 11 Mar 2011.
  7. "Centralia Union Depot – Centralia, Washington". waymarking.com. Groundspeak, Inc. Retrieved 12 Jan 2014.
  8. "Restoration of the Historic Centralia Railroad Depot" (PDF). www.awcnet.org. City of Centralia Community Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-12.
  9. "Amtrak adds stops on Portland trains". The Seattle Times. July 7, 1971. p. A18.
  10. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.

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