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To-do

• Sounder North Line
• Sounder South Line
• King Street Station
• List of Sounder stations?
• South Line stations

Former Amtrak stations (list)

• Blaine station (1981), built 1908?
  • Used for customs stops since 9/11^[1]
  • Explored for revival since 2012; or demolition since 2008 because of BNSF needs
• East Auburn (1978–1981), replaced Auburn station (now Sounder)
• East Olympia (1990s?)
• Ellensburg station (1981) – historic NP depot (NRHP), built 1910 and under restoration
  • Revival proposal in 2014: Groups hope for return of passenger rail
  • 2022: HopeSource relocates to office (10,000 sq ft)
  • PD images from Washington Rural Heritage (Ellensburg Library)
• Everett station (1910) (2003)
• Mount Vernon–Burlington station (725 College Way), used from 1968 to 2004
• Yakima station (1981) – historic NP depot, built 1909
  • Contributing property to Old North Yakima Historic District

NRHP depots

• Anacortes station (Great Northern Depot (Anacortes, Washington)) (1911), converted into arts center

Other stations

• Pullman: NP/Pufferbelly depot built in 1917, purchased for museum in 2018 (DN; alt)
  • UP depot on Davis is now a bank?
• Bingen–White Salmon: dual name to settle feud in 1906
• Commons category listing: Issaquah, Ritzville, Tenino, Dayton, Black Diamond

Former Idaho/Oregon stations (Pioneer, 1997)

• Hood River, built by OWR&N in 1911, now used for excursion trains
  • Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company Passenger Station (NRHP)
• The Dalles, built by UP and later moved in 1991 (Greyhound)
• Hinkle-Hermiston
• Pendleton (Umatilla County Historical Society/Museum Park)
• La Grande
• Baker City
• Ontario, built by UP
• Nampa
• Boise Union Pacific Depot
• Mountain Home
• Shoshone
• Pocatello

Former mainline stations

• Great Northern (forum post)
• Various pictures
• Railroad Station Historical Society
• Washington State Railroad Depots Photo Archive (ISBN 9781583882450)

Short railroads

• Skagit River Railway (1974, Sedro Wolley to Concrete): included construction of new station in Conrete
  • "New (!) railroad depot". The Seattle Times. April 7, 1974. p. C2.

Other links

• WSDOT East–West Study (2001)

Examples: Jæren Commuter Rail, Oslo Commuter Rail

• 16 at-grade crossings in Lakewood Subdivision (all the way to DuPont)^[2]

• Basic features: Bus station, platform with rider information, shelters, TVMs, ORCA readers, public art
• 4 stations with restrooms (2021 report)
• Station agents (staffed by Hallcon)^[3]

• Parking: HOV permits
• Accessible features: High platform ramp, station agents^[4]
• Public art at every station; all stations feature "Welcome Mat" for queuing^[5]

• 1950s proposal?
• 1995 RTA plan includes 17 stations total
  • Provisional stations on Sounder North: Richmond Beach, Ballard, and Interbay
  • Additional stations in Seattle: Interbay, Pike Place Market, Georgetown, and Boeing Access Road
  • Bond Street Station (Everett) served alongside new Everett Station
• 1996-05-31: Sound Move adopted by ST Board, including commuter rail from Everett to Lakewood via Seattle with 14 stations (and 3 provisional)^[6]
  • Provisional stations at Richmond Beach,^[7] Ballard,^[8] and Georgetown;^[9] Boeing Access Road as a rail transfer hub (to light rail); Bond Street Station kept
• 1998 station plans^[10]
• 2009 to 2011: New King Street Coach Yard and maintenance facility (shared with Amtrak at Holgate Street)^[11][12]
• 2017: New maintenance base in Lakewood^[13]
  • Site selected in 2016, funded by ST2; other options were in Everett and SODO^[14]
• October 2018: Full PTC installation completed^[15]
  • Fully activated in 2019^[16]
• April 2020 report: 6 million annual riders on S Line by 2042

Proposals

• Special 2015 U.S. Open service to University Place proposed with special platform at Chambers Bay, later canceled in November 2014^[17][18]
  • Alternative shuttle plan^[19]

Proposed extensions

• Blaine/Everett (2001)^[20]
  • Bellingham feeder (2005)^[21]
• Frederickson (2005)^[22]
• McMillin/Orting (2005)
• Eastside (2007)
• DuPont (2016 ST3), pushed back from 2036 to 2045
• Olympia?^[23][24]
  • 2006 study from Thurston County endorses DuPont station with further advocacy for Olympia^[25]
• Cancelled stations: Edmonds Crossing (with ferry terminal; opted for 2011 renovation instead)
• Infill stations: North Sumner, Shaw Road, Tacoma Mall (S 35th),^[26] Ballard, Point Wells (Woodway)

• Service expansion history from 2018 SIP^[27]
• On-time performance and reliability (from SIP)^[28]

Special events service

• Seattle Dragons (2020 only)^[29]
• Emerald Downs in Auburn with shuttle^[30]
• Washington State Fair, two Saturdays in September; station TVMs sell fair tickets; shuttles between fairgrounds and station

• Maintained by Amtrak, staffed by BNSF
• 11 more passenger cars ordered in 2020^[31]
  • To be built in Thunder Bay by Alstom^[32]
  • Delivery began in 2022 under new owner Alstom; $46.5 million contract in conjunction with San Joaquin and NCTD (San Diego) to reduce unit price^[33]
• City of Density livery on locomotive 902
• Fuel consumption?

As of 2018^[update][34]

Active rolling stock of Sounder commuter rail

No.	Quantity	Type	Model	Image	Manufactured	Notes
101–104	4	Cab car	Bombardier BiLevel cab car		1999

Sounder North Line
Overview
Other name(s)	Sounder Northline
Status	Operating
Owner	Sound Transit
Locale	Snohomish County and Seattle, Washington
Termini	Everett Station King Street Station
Stations	4
Website	soundtransit.org
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	Sounder commuter rail
Operator(s)	BNSF Railway
Daily ridership	1,737 (2017)
History
Opened	December 26, 2003 (2003-12-26)
Technical
Line length	34 mi (55 km)
Character	At-grade and underground
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Sounder North Line is a 34-mile-long (55 km) commuter rail line on the BNSF Scenic Subdivision between Everett and Seattle in the U.S. state of Washington, owned by Sound Transit and operated by BNSF Railway.

Planning

• 1995: "Try Rail" campaign using leased GO Transit bi-level trains from January to March, serving Everett, Edmonds, Seattle, Kent and Tacoma^[1]
• 1995: RTA proposes commuter rail service from Everett to Lakewood, scheduled to launch in 1997 or 1998, pending a vote (that would later fail) on March 14, 1995^[2]
  • Provisional stations on Sounder North: Richmond Beach, Ballard, and Interbay
  • Additional stations in Seattle: Interbay, Pike Place Market, Georgetown, and Boeing Access Road
  • Bond Street Station (Everett) served alongside new Everett Station
• 1996-05-31: Sound Move adopted by ST Board, including commuter rail from Everett to Lakewood via Seattle^[3]
  • Provisional stations at Richmond Beach, Ballard; Bond Street Station kept
• 1997-08-15: RTA board adopts "Sounder" as name for commuter rail service^[4]
• Proposal to double-track Everett tunnel and redirect freight traffic to create quiet zone^[5]
• 1998: EPA concerns about intertidal zones forces delay?
• 1999-02-11: ST Board approves work on Everett Multi-modal Facility for Sounder commuter rail and ST Express bus service, using $14.385 million designated by 1996 Sound Move initiative^[6]
• 1999-11-02: Initiative 695 causes car-tab tax cuts that postpone Sounder commuter service to Everett and Edmonds^[7]
• 1999 Sounder North FEISA published^[8]
  • Archived copy
• 2001-06-14: Bond Street Station (Everett) removed from Sounder North plans^[9]
  • "Difficulties associated with the Bond Street site included parking constraints, marginal transit access, and traffic impacts to local streets. Patrons who would have used the Bond Street site will be well served by the Everett Station site. The City of Everett has chosen to focus its attention on the Everett Station facility, in an effort to provide one centralized multi-modal facility. Savings from this project could potentially be used for other commuter rail projects in Everett."^[10]
• 2002-02-04: Everett Station opens, without rail service^[11]
• 2003-05-28: 97-year lease signed by ST and BNSF, enabling Sounder commuter service on the North Line for $224 million; 1 train at debut, stopping at Edmonds, with 4 daily trains planned after track improvements^[12]
• December 2003 agreement with BNSF
  • Secondary document

Service history

• 2003-12-26: North Line begins service, from Everett and Edmonds to Seattle^[13][14]
• 2008-05-30: Mukilteo Station opens on North Line^[15][16]

Proposed extension

• 1999: Arlington, Marysville and Tulalip Tribes propose joining Sound Transit RTA district for Sounder North service on existing BNSF tracks^[17]

• 2-car trains for some trips

• 2017: 1,737 daily^[18]
• Criticisms in 2012

• Sounder commuter rail
  • Sounder South Line
• Amtrak Cascades

• Sound Transit schedule

Everett
General information
Location	2900 Bond Street Everett, Washington United States
Owned by	BNSF Railway
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Train operators	Great Northern Railway (1910–1970) Burlington Northern Amtrak (1977–2002)

Everett Station, also known as the Bond Street Station, was a railroad station in Everett, Washington, United States, that was built in 1910 and replaced in 2002 by a new facility. Originally built in the Mission style for the Great Northern Railway in 1910, the station was rejected as a Sounder commuter rail station in 2000.

Old images, possibly PD

• Early depot at the end of Pacific Avenue^[1]
  • 1893 depot at Bay View Hotel
• 1892: Work begins on downtown Everett tunnel^[2][3]
  • Completed in 1905; seven blocks from east to west parallel to Hewitt Avenue^[4]
• March 3, 1900: Passenger service to Everett by Seattle & International Railway begins^[5]
• 1910: Built for GN^[6]
  • 2 platforms at 2 tracks, different elevations (upper EB/Chicago; stairs and tunnel for lower NB/Vancouver)
  • Mission style
• 1960s: Renovated to remove Mission-style features
  • March 1, 1961: Waterfront route abandoned by passenger trains^[7]
  • 1962 announcement^[8]
    • Plans to build a new station east of downtown were rejected

• May 2, 1971: Final BN-operated Empire Builder at Everett^[9]
• 1981-10: Empire Builder service added^[10]
• 1995: Try Rail^[11][12]
• 1996: Sound Move^[13][14]
• 2000: Removed from Sounder^[15]
• 2002-11: Trains move to new station; converted to BNSF office

Great Northern Tunnel

Technical
Length	5,141 feet (1,567 m)
No. of tracks	2
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Tunnel clearance	28 feet (8.5 m)
Width	38 feet (12 m)

The Great Northern Tunnel is a railway tunnel located in Downtown Seattle, Washington. The 5,141 feet (1,567 m)^[1] tunnel is owned by the BNSF Railway and is used for freight shipment as well as passenger rail service from Amtrak and Sound Transit.

The tunnel runs from northwest to southeast under Downtown Seattle from Pike Place Market to King Street Station.

• Height and width

• HistoryLink
• At the time it was built, it was the tallest and widest tunnel in the United States at 28 feet (8.5 m) high and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide.
• 1915 lawsuit with library over settlement of 3 feet^[2]

• 1977: Amtrak service begins
• 1988: Bus tunnel construction (crosses twice)
• 2003: Sounder North service begins
• 2019: Viaduct removal over north portal

Safety hazards

• Sound Transit concerns in 1990s
• City of Seattle proposes safety and ventilation systems^[3][4]

Existing FAs and GAs: Union Station (Erie, Pennsylvania)

Union Station
General information
Location	401 South Jackson Street Seattle, Washington
Owned by	Sound Transit
Train operators	Union Pacific Railroad (1911–1971) Milwaukee Road (1911–1961)
Construction
Architect	Daniel J. Patterson
Architectural style	Beaux Arts
History
Opened	May 20, 1911 (1911-05-20)
Closed	April 30, 1971 (1971-04-30)
Rebuilt	1999
Union Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	4th Ave. S. and S. Jackson St. Seattle, Washington
Built	1910–11
NRHP reference No.	74001960
Added to NRHP	August 30, 1974

Union Station is a historic train station in Seattle, Washington, United States. It serves as the headquarters of Sound Transit, the region's transit authority, and anchors a complex of office buildings. The station is in the Chinatown–International District and is adjacent to King Street Station and International District/Chinatown station.

Originally named the Oregon and Washington Station, the station was built between 1910 and 1911 for joint use by the Union Pacific Railroad and Milwaukee Road. A similar union station, King Street Station, was built across 4th Avenue for the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway in 1906. The railroad station, later renamed to Union Station, was designed by Daniel J. Patterson in the Beaux Arts style and featured many classical ornaments. Milwaukee Road ceased passenger service to Seattle in 1961, and was followed by Union Pacific in 1971; King Street remains the city's only intercity passenger train station, served by Amtrak and Sounder commuter rail.

Union Station sat unused for several decades while various developers attempted to make use of the station and its land. The underground International District station of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel was built adjacent to the Union Station in 1990, along with a concrete lid designed for future development. A complex of office buildings was opened on the former site of the station's tracks and platforms in 2000. The station itself was renovated in 1999 to serve as Sound Transit's headquarters.

Union Station is located at South Jackson Street and 4th Avenue South at the northwest corner of the Chinatown–International District neighborhood near Downtown Seattle and Pioneer Square. The train station sits on a 7.5-acre (3.0 ha) campus that also includes several office buildings and is adjacent to International District/Chinatown station, served by the Link light rail system.^[1][2] The building itself is a reinforced concrete structure with a steel frame and a façade that uses a mix of red brick veneer for the walls and terra cotta with cast stone for the trim and ornamental elements. Union Station is 150 feet (46 m) wide and 220 feet (67 m) long, with three stories of office space above ground level. The office wings are separated by the Great Hall, a grand lobby that is 60 feet (18 m) wide and 160 feet (49 m) long with a cream-colored vaulted ceiling that reaches 55 feet (17 m) in height.^[3][4]

The station was designed by Daniel J. Patterson, a San Francisco-based architect who primarily worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad but also designed the Salt Lake City depot for Union Pacific.^[5] It is classified as a Beaux Arts design with elements of Roman Classic Revival, particularly in the exterior ornamentation.^[3] The northern façade serves as the main entrance and comprises three sets of doors under a Doric entablature, a flat awning, and a clock over the third floor. It opens directly into the Great Hall, which has a set of skylights between its six arched ribs and ends with a semicircular lunette window over the concourse doors to the south. The Great Hall is furnished with ceramic tile flooring arranged in a mosaic pattern, glazed tiles on the walls, large oak benches, and seating areas.^[3][4] It also includes a restroom, access to office spaces, and a former waiting room that was converted into a meeting room for Sound Transit's board of directors.^[6]

The concourse at the south end of the Great Hall led to the former mezzanine levels, which had stairs, ramps, and escalators to the platforms and tracks that extended south from the station. The lower level, built at the elevation of the original tideflats of the area, also had facilities for baggage handling, food service, storage, an immigration checkpoint, and mechanical shops.^[3][7] This level was converted into a office space and an adjacent courtyard garden that faces the southbound platform at International District/Chinatown station.^[6] The office area includes an indoor mezzanine and was subdivided into cubicles and conference rooms for Sound Transit employees.^[8]

• Its central longitudinal core is four stories and topped by a gable roof. At each side of the central core, the building volume drops down to three stories (above the ground level), which are covered by a hipped tile roof.^[4]
• Structural steel with concrete walls (early use)^[4]
• Concourse with exits to the west and east, plus security office
• ST Campus map
  • Since downsized to just Union Station and 705 Building

New layout

• Garden Level on east side, facing platform level of ID/Chinatown Station
  • Former location of immigration office and baggage area
• Basement level subdivided into cubicles in middle surrounded by conference rooms and offices^[9]

The first major railroad terminal in Seattle was King Street Station, opened in 1906 for the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway at the end of the Great Northern Tunnel. The railroads, owned by magnate James J. Hill, had been competing for control of the Pacific Northwest market with the Union Pacific Railroad and Oregon–Washington Railroad, both owned by Edward H. Harriman. Union Pacific had begun planning a Seattle terminal of their own at the same time, and the city government awarded them the right to build a terminal on March 6, 1908.^[10] The Union Pacific terminal would be built across 4th Avenue South from King Street Station along South Jackson Street at the site of the city's first coal gasification plant, which had been regraded to produce level ground for the below-grade railyard.

• Resources: books and EIS at SPL Central
  • NBBJ report on Transportation Center, for Metro (1973)
  • Books on American railroad stations: Edwin P. Alexander (1970), John Albert Droege (1916), H. Roger Grant (1993), Thomas E. Jessett (1972), Janet Greenstein Potter (1996), Jack W. Seto (1978)
• First gas plant at site of Jackson & 4th (prior to regrade)
  • circa 1901: Popular swimming hole (filled by high tide)^[11]
• 1906: Jackson regrade, King Street Station
• 1907: Tour by UP magnate E. H. Harriman to scout a possible Seattle terminus^[12]
• 1908-03-06: City of Seattle grants franchise and terminal rights to Oregon-Washington Railway and UP
  • Agreement includes widening of nearby streets (on pillars)
  • Planned to be completed before World's Fair (June 1909)^[13]
• Tide areas were dredged and filled
• 1910-01: Construction begins
• Replaced Georgetown depot^[14]
• 1911-05-01: Completed for occupancy
• 1911-05-20: Dedication ceremony^[15]
  • "Handsomest on Harriman's lines"^[5]
• 1911-05-28: Train service begins at Oregon and Washington Station
• 1945: Service peak during WWII (troops returning), with 40 arrivals and departures per day
• 1951: Proposal from US Postal Service to build consolidated post office at Union Station, would have required condemnation^[16]
• 1961-05-22: Milwaukee Road ceases operation of Olympian Hiawatha^[17]
• 1971-04-30: Union Pacific ceases

Post-closure

• Great Hall used for occasional events, while rest of station sat vacant^[18][19]
• March 25, 1976: "Antique World" (antiques store) opens in Union Station^[20]
  • Other citation^[21]
  • Some furnishings and fixtures replaced to prepare for opening; 10-year lease signed^[22]
  • Tentative plans from Port of Seattle to purchase building from Union Pacific for use as a transportation terminal^[23][24]
  • Closed in September 1980 with complete liquidation
• Music venue in the 1980s and 1990s; acoustics "not unlike those in a racquetball court"^[25]
  • 1988 KCMU Halloween party with Nirvana, Butthole Surfers, and Blood Circus
  • Occasional raves^[26]
  • All-ages dances organized by the city^[27]
• 1990: International District bus tunnel station opens

Plans

• 1957: Rapid transit/bus/heliport/parking garage ("Jackson Station"), scanned on flickr
• 1973: NBBJ/DeLeuw Cather proposal to build multimodal station combined with King Street Station
• 1975: Port of Seattle
• Multimodal transit hub: 1978 (Northwest Trailways)^[28]
• 1986: Mayor Royer proposes renovation into new city hall with new office complex,^[29] lost out to report recommending rebuilding city hall at current site (opened in 2003)^[30]
• 1986 ZGF concept with office towers in the back in more traditional designs
• 1993 City of Seattle report by Parsons Brinkerhoff recommends multimodal hub, transportation museum, and Metro offices
• 1995: Jimi Hendrix museum proposed by Paul Allen, competing with site at Seattle Center^[31]
• 1996: "museum mall" or "a Westlake Mall for heritage" proposal submitted to Nitze-Stagen with potential spaces for Wing Luke Museum, Burke Museum, Washington State History Museum, and Jimi Hendrix museum^[32]

Office complex

• 1989: City approves plan to build offices and public plaza over south blocks^[33]
• Contamination issues at former coal plant site^[34][35]
• July 1998: Union Station garage opens^[36] for use to replace lost capacity (1,100 stalls) of Kingdome south surface lot that had closed for Safeco Field construction
  • Construction of office buildings on top continues during garage operation

Sale and renovation

• September 1997: Nitze-Stagen and Paul Allen's Vulcan purchase Union Station from Union Pacific Railroad^[37]
  • $11.2 million sale price^[35]
  • Plan is for 9.1 acres with buildings up to 120 feet with "sculpted" office towers, public spaces, atriums, and other features^[38]
• 1998: Sound Transit purchases station for $1 contingent on renovation, land remains owned by Union Station Associates^[39]
• Renovation project includes installing 16 miles of conduit and communications lines^[40]
• 1999: Renovation for Sound Transit completed^[41]
  • Renovation won a National Trust Award
  • Site cleanup and mitigation^[42]
• 2000: Union Station complex opens?
  • Owned by Union Station Associates (partnership between Paul Allen and the Nitze-Stagen Company)^[43]
  • Opus Center (south of Weller walkway) opens on top of garage and bus tunnel lid^[44][45]
    • Former site of coal plant^[35]
• 2001: Nisqually earthquake leaves some damage that is repaired
  • Great Hall closed for several months to inspect damage to ceiling and repair cracks^[46]
• 2013: 605 and 625 buildings sold to Seattle Union Station LLC^[47]
• 2017: Great Hall renamed for Joni Earl^[48]
• March 2020 to June 27, 2024: Great Hall closed to public due to COVID and other issues; only open for public meetings and use^[49]
• 2023: Sound Transit downsizes to just Union Station and 705 Building (leased floors, to be expanded in 2025)^[50]

Future

• 2018: Light rail platforms for Ballard Extension (or 4th Avenue option)

• Olympian (Milwaukee, 1911 to 1961) to Chicago
• Columbian (Milwaukee, 1911 to 1930; 1947 to 1955?) to Chicago
• Shasta Limited

Tenants

• Sound Transit at four buildings^[51]
  • Expansion after ST3 into 705 Building^[52]
• Getty Images
• ADP
• Wells Fargo
• Amazon (formerly)^[53]

Retailers

• Wells Fargo
• Tous les Jours
• Starbucks (closed?)

• Trouble in Mind (1985)
• Man in the High Castle (2015, Amazon)^[54]

• Crowley, Walt; MacIntosh, Heather (1999). The Story of Union Station in Seattle. Seattle: History Ink. OCLC 42880659.

King Street Station is located at the intersection of South Jackson Street and 3rd Avenue South, at the southeast corner of the Pioneer Square neighborhood in Downtown Seattle. The station is recessed below street level, with entrances at South Jackson Street and at South King Street. Commuter rail passengers use a separate set of entrances along South Weller Street and the north side of South Jackson Street.

The station building stands three stories tall, with a 242-foot (74 m) clocktower, and is primarily of brick masonry and terra cotta construction with stone elements.^[1] It was designed by Reed and Stem in the "Railroad Italiane" style,^[2] in contrast to their later Classical work as co-architects of New York City's Grand Central Terminal,^{[citation needed]} and the clocktower was based on the St Mark's Campanile bell tower in Venice.

• Tower design based on St Mark's Campanile in Venice, furnished with clock
  • 254-feet tall, tallest structure in Seattle until completion of Smith Tower in 1914^[3]
• Brick and terra cotta
• Upper floors: formerly GN/NP offices, later art galleries and potential food hub
• Former amenities: coffee shop, dining hall, oak benches, compass terrazzo floor^[4]
• Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge not offered

Public art

• Weller Street Bridge: "Bridge Between Cultures" (Nanda D'Agostino and Valerie Otani)^[5][6]

Seattle was initially passed over as the terminus for the Northern Pacific Railway, who instead chose Tacoma 40 miles (64 km) to the south in 1873. Local businessmen in Seattle organized their own railroad company, the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad, which would only run to Newcastle. The railroad was acquired by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, who reorganized it as the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad and built a modest, two-story depot at Railroad Avenue and Columbia Street in 1880 that served as the city's first train station.^[7]

• Earlier railroad stations: 1880 at Columbia Street & Railroad Ave by SLS&E (later for GN),^[8] 1890 by NPRR, calls for a grander station to spur economic development (and win rivalry with Tacoma)^[9]
  • 1892 at Columbia?^[10]
  • January 1905: Columbia & Puget Sound depot at Railroad Avenue and Washington Street
• October 25, 1899: Rendering by Cass, Gilbert of a Northern Pacific grand station on the waterfront between Madison and Columbia^[11]
  • Full plan: 7-track sub yard north of passenger depot
• April 17, 1902: Seattle & Montana files plans for tunnel between Washington and Virginia streets with $200,000 for a union depot^[12]
• GN Tunnel begins construction in April 1903, opens in 1904
• 1904: Construction begins
• March 9, 1906: First train at new Union Depot is a Burlington/GN "Southeast Express" that is 9 hours late
• 1906-05-09: Ticket offices for GN and NP moved
• 1906-05-10: Station "opens" with unfinished interior^[13]
  • Dispute over name persisted until August 1906
• 1910: Joined by Union Station across 4th
• 1960s: Escalator added
• 1967: Drop ceiling added 15 feet (4.6 m) below the ceiling, reducing from the original 44 feet (13 m)^[14]
• Other renovations: removal of terra cotta roof and replacement with asphalt; microwave antennas; interior destruction^[15]
  • Glass canopy over platform(?) replaced with tin roof^[14]
  • "second-story balcony to the main waiting room were sealed shut with concrete blocks"^[16]
• May 1, 1971: Amtrak consolidates service into King Street
• 1973: NRHP listing as part of Pioneer Square Historic District (under Uhlman administration)
• 1976: More BN offices for freight and operations divisions moved into station due to Kingdome construction and displacement^[17]

• 1973 NBBJ study
• 1990s study proposing bus viaduct and other features
  • Interest from Greyhound and Gray Line for integrated hub; Metro proposes commuter rail from Auburn or Tacoma or Olympia^[18]
• July 13, 1999: Weller Street bridge opens ahead of Sounder debut^[19]
• September 2000: Sounder begins service on South Line
• December 2003: North Line service begins

• TrainWeb citations
• Prior condition described as "awful, an embarrassment" by Amtrak president Tom Downs (1995)^[20]
  • BN moved dispatch and offices out, leaving upper floors vacant^[18]
• 1997: Otak and Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates commissioned by state government for $4 million renovation study focusing on structural stability to allow for unfunded renovations to begin^[14][21]
  • Incentive based on the new stadiums being built in the area
  • Estimated cost of $18.5 million for exterior and waiting room improvements, along with seismic retrofitting
• 2001: $43 renovation plan submitted to legislature^[22]

Designed by ZGF^[23][24][25]

• Construction begins in 2003^[16]
• November 2006: Seattle agrees to purchase station from BNSF for $1
  • Finalized in early 2008, price increased to $10 because of city rules^[26]
• 2008: Clock tower repaired and reactivated
  • Previously stuck at around 6:20 for decades^[16]
  • Microwave radio antennas removed
• July 2009: Phase I (restored green tile roof and terra cotta) completed
• Other phase (by 2007): expansion of platforms that required I-90 to 4th Avenue ramp to be narrowed from 3 lanes to 2 lanes^[27]
• July 2011: Jackson Plaza opened; streetcar infrastructure below
  • Grand staircase rebuilt
• August 2011: Geothermal well for heating and other exterior work
• April 2012: Amtrak baggage and ticketing
• March 2012: Seismic retrofit and interior restoration begins
• Completed on April 24, 2013, cost $56 million (funded partially by HSR grant and Bridging the Gap levy)^[28]
• 2016–17: Platform expansion to the west
• 2019: Third floor converted to arts space^[29]

• ST proposals for new entrance at Seattle Boulevard, improvements as part of South Downtown Hub (formerly Jackson Hub)^[30]
• 2024 improvement proposal: More stairs and elevators, concourse above Sounder platform, longer platform^[31]

• By 1993, only 6 daily trains; increased to 26 by 2006^[16]
• 2017 description: 7 station tracks and 3 platforms to serve tracks 1/2 (Sounder only), 3/4, and 5/6^[32]
  • Track 3 (through) for Amtrak long-distance tracks
• 2022 description: 7 tracks (3 thru, 2 BNSF mainline, 4 south-facing terminating tracks); three center platforms and one side platform^[33]
  • Tracks 3 and 4 for Sounder; tracks 5 through 8 for Amtrak; track 9 for special Sounder events^[33]: 64

• Terminating platforms
  • Uses tracks 5 to 9^[34]
• Pioneer (until 1997)
• 15th busiest on the Amtrak system (2016)

• Weller Bridge
• New platform used for South Line during sports events (2018)^[35][36]

• Coastal Passage by Rocky Mountaineer
• King Street taxi level: Thruway, Dungeness Line, Northwestern Trailways
  • No Greyhound because of dispute?^[37]
• 4th & Jackson stops: Metro and ST
• International District/Chinatown station
• Streetcar (5th)

The Seattle Subdivision is a railroad in the U.S. state of Washington, spanning 136.5 miles (219.7 km) from Seattle to Vancouver. It is owned and operated by BNSF Railway, connecting to the Scenic Subdivision in Seattle and Fallbridge Subdivision in Vancouver. The railroad is used for BNSF's freight service as well as Amtrak's Cascades and Coast Starlight passenger trains.

It was built in the late 19th century by the Great Northern Railway and its subsidiaries, forming one of two north–south railroads between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The final segment, between Kalama and Vancouver, was completed in 1908. Great Northern was merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1970, alongside Great Northern and three other major railroads.

The railroad begins at the western terminus of the Scenic Subdivision, King Street Station in Downtown Seattle, south of the Great Northern Tunnel. It travels south through SoDo, passing under the retractable roof of Safeco Field and near the Amtrak maintenance facility at South Holgate Street.

• 1916 guide

• 1884: Puget Sound Shore Railroad (NP) from Seattle to Tacoma
• 1901: Kalama to Vancouver not yet built; rail ferry used to connect with line from Goble, Oregon^[1]
• 1908: Columbia River bridge completed by SP&S, along with railroad from Kalama to Vancouver ("North Bank road")^[2]
• 1970: BN acquires NP and GN
• 2016: Triple tracking in Tukwila and Kent-Auburn

• Freight: trains per day; capacity of 70 trains (55 average trains in 2008)^[3]
• Passenger: Cascades, Coast Starlight, Sounder South, excursions

Skagit Station
General information
Location	105 East Kincaid Street Mount Vernon, Washington, US
Owned by	Skagit Transit
Line(s)	BNSF Railway: Bellingham Subdivision
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Bus stands	8
Bus operators	Skagit Transit, Island Transit, Whatcom Transportation Authority, Greyhound Lines
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	MVW
History
Opened	September 13, 2004
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Stanwood toward Eugene Amtrak Cascades Bellingham toward Vancouver, British Columbia

Skagit Station, also known as the Skagit Transportation Center, is a train station and multimodal transit center in the city of Mount Vernon, Washington, United States. It is served by several daily Amtrak Cascades trains, as well as local and commuter buses operated by Skagit Transit, Island Transit, and the Whatcom Transportation Authority. The station is located in downtown Mount Vernon, adjacent to the intersection of Interstate 5 and State Route 536.

The station was opened in September 2004, replacing an earlier facility on College Way near Burlington that opened in 1968. The downtown station was sited near an earlier passenger and freight depot constructed by the Great Northern Railway in 1891.

• Architects: Arai Jackson Ellison Murakami
• Timber and brick use to recall historic use of downtown^[1]
• Interior space: 6,600 square feet^[2]
• Community meeting room^[3]
• Chamber of Commerce offices^[4]: 202
  • Until 2012^[5]

Mount Vernon was founded in 1877 and its first railroad was built in August 1891 as part of the Seattle and Northern Railroad, later acquired by the Great Northern Railway.^[6][7] The city's first railroad depot was located at the intersection of Kincaid Street and 3rd Street, west of the current station, and was used for over a half-century.

Older stations and service

• 1891: GN's first depot?
  • November 27, 1891: GN excursion train with Seattle Chamber stops in Mount Vernon for celebration of line's opening^[8]
  • Regular service began on December 7
  • Sandborn map places it at Kincaid & 3rd, on west side of tracks near GN Hotel^[9]
• 1909: Burlington depot opened
• 1912: Mount Vernon depot expanded to double size; canopies added in 1913^[10]
• Interurban terminal at Kincaid & 1st^[11]
• 1967: New depot announced to replace dilapidated Mount Vernon and Burlington downtown depots; 1,500 sq ft waiting room, 90-by-30 foot structure, similar to Quincy depot, large parking lot; contract cost of $91,714^[12]
• April 26, 1968: GN opens station at 725 College Way to replace Burlington and Mount Vernon depots^[10][13]
  • Old depot demolished on August 18, 1968?^[14]
  • Later used by Amtrak as Mt. Vernon–Burlington (Skagit Valley), now a BNSF office^[15]
• 1972: Amtrak re-introduces Vancouver services
• September 1981: Pacific International service is cancelled^[16]
• May 1995: Vancouver service resumed

Current station

• Near site of original GN depot
• 1990s: Funding and site identified; Kincaid Street preferred due to proximity to I-5 and potential to kickstart downtown development^[1]
  • Other option: College Way site next to Skagit Transit maintenance facility (never built?)
• January 2004: Skagit Transit service begins^[17]
• August 24, 2004: Opening ceremony^[18]
  • Cost $7.7 million
• September 13, 2004: First trains

• Buses: SKAT (90X to Everett), Island 411 to Stanwood, Whatcom 80X to Bellingham, Greyhound

Old station

• Great Northern station on D Street
  • Built in 1927 and designed by F. Stanley Piper; replaced earlier modest depot after it burned down^[1]
  • Later used by BNSF for switching operations
• May 1, 1971: Amtrak takes over, no more service to Bellingham
• July 17, 1972: Amtrak returns with launch of Pacific International^[2]

New station

• 1993: Fairhaven options include old Haggens office and other buildings^[3]
• Opened July 21, 1995 (according to plaque)
  • "Nearing completion" at the time; cost of $3.88 million; 15,000 sq ft of leasable space with several tenants^[4]
• Coffee stand and leasable office space
• Former warehouse building
• Replaced earlier passenger station in Old Town Bellingham
• Former BoltBus stop^[5]
• Amtrak service returns in 2022 after COVID-19 cancellation^[6]

Possibly renamed to Pasco Intermodal Station

Pasco Intermodal Train Station
Amtrak inter-city rail station
General information
Location	535 North 1st Avenue Pasco, Washington, US
Owned by	BNSF Railway
Line(s)	BNSF Railway: Fallbridge Subdivision
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Bus stands	8
Bus operators	Ben Franklin Transit, Greyhound Lines
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	PSC
History
Opened	1998
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Wishram toward Portland Empire Builder Spokane toward Chicago
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Yakima toward Seattle Empire Builder (1971–1981) Spokane toward Chicago

The Pasco Intermodal Train Station is a train station in the city of Pasco, Washington, United States, part of the Tri-Cities region. It is served by two daily Amtrak trains on the Empire Builder, which travels west to Portland, Oregon, and east to Chicago. The station is located northeast of downtown Pasco near the junction of State Route 397 and Interstate 182.

• Short platform?
• Bus area with six bays
• Parking lot
• Located adjacent to city hall (former high school) and county government campus
• Interior spaces for coffee shop and magazine store

• 1886: Pasco founded in 1886 and named by railroad employee
• Oldest station was at Tacoma and Columbia; second at Fourth and B Street,^[1] but burned down; Tacoma and Clark depot built afterwards^[2]
• Old station location: Clark & Tacoma Avenue (4 blocks south); opened in 1936
  • Two sections demolished, leaving one remaining^[3]
  • Demolished in 2009; original plans were to use it for railroad museum but determined to be unfeasible^[4]
  • Platform remnants still visible
  • Saw heavy use during Manhattan Project^[4]

• May 1971: Amtrak takeover cancels 8 trains to Tri-Cities area^[5]
• 1974: Pasco phone number redirected to Los Angeles, one of the last stations to be switched^[6]
• December 1977: Floods wash out portion of Stampede Pass line, rerouted onto Milwaukee Road until determined to be unsafe
  • May 1978: BN announces plans to repair line^[7]
• April 1978: Amtrak announces closure of Pasco, Yakima, and Ellensburg stations effective May 21^[8]
  • Interim bus service until May 21, later extended until service restored on Empire Builder^[9]
• Ultimately replaced by Portland-Spokane leg of Empire Builder

Replacement

• 1994: Pasco explores renovation or replacement of 60-year-old depot; ADA requirements and other aging^[10]
  • Committee recommends replacement at Lewis Street underpass, near North First & Margaret, or on Fourth^[11]
• June 1997: Pioneer ends service from Pendleton
• Fall 1996: Lease negotiations with BNSF begin
• December 1997: Pasco begins construction bidding for new depot at First Avenue site; cost estimated at $16 million^[12]
• March 1998: Construction begins^[3]
• October^[13] or November 1998: Station opens
  • $1.7 million to construct, funded mostly by state/federal grants with only $100,000 each from Ben Franklin Transit and City of Pasco^[4]
  • Replaced 62-year-old depot on Tacoma Avenue^[14]
  • Old depot was planned to be remodeled into museum^[15]

• Empire Builder (Portland)
• Change point for Empire Builder engineers
• Ben Franklin routes
• Greyhound, Northwest Trailways, Travel Washington, other buses?

Future

• Stampede Pass service studied by WSDOT^[16]

Spokane Intermodal Center
Amtrak inter-city rail station
General information
Location	221 West 1st Avenue Spokane, Washington, US
Owned by	City of Spokane
Line(s)	BNSF Railway: Spokane Subdivision
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	5
Bus operators	Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach, Greyhound Lines, Northwestern Trailways, Jefferson Lines, Travel Washington
Connections	Spokane Transit Authority
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	SPK
History
Opened	March 5, 1891
Rebuilt	1993–1994
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Ephrata toward Seattle Empire Builder Sandpoint toward Chicago Pasco toward Portland
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Ephrata toward Seattle North Coast Hiawatha Sandpoint toward Chicago Expo '74 Terminus

The Spokane Intermodal Center is an intermodal train and bus station located in Spokane, Washington, United States. It is served by Amtrak's Empire Builder train and several intercity bus operators, including Greyhound Lines, Northwestern Trailways, and Travel Washington.

The station was built by the Northern Pacific Railway and opened in 1891. The station underwent extensive renovations from 1993 to 1994 and was reopened as an intermodal terminal on December 12, 1994.

• Brick exterior
• Raised bus ramp
• Train viaduct through downtown
• Island platform for trains with underground concourse
• Nearby: Convention center, First Interstate Center for Arts, Riverfront Park (GN depot clocktower, rest of station razed in January/February 1973)^[1]
• Layout map (1994)

• Other stations: Milwaukee Road's Union Depot at Front Street;^[2] GN depot opened in May 1902 on Havermale Island, later Expo site
  • Rival Union Station for Union Pacific and others constructed in front of GN depot, opened in 1914^[1]
• 1881: Spokane NP depot opens on 1st/2nd at Lincoln Street
• 1883: First NP trains arrive in Spokane
• 1886: Larger depot opened, destroyed by Great Fire on August 4, 1889
• New eastern location proposed in April 1890^[3]
• New depot at Lincoln Street proposed as part of Monroe Street Bridge debate, contingent on street vacation^[4][5]
  • Vetoed by mayor^[6]
• New eastern location announced on June 4, 1890^[7]
• March 4, 1891: Opened for public viewing
• March 5, 1891: Train services begin^[8]
• March 29, 1891: Increased number of transcontinental trains from Spokane^[9]

• 1912 to 1915: Elevated railroad viaduct constructed to move trains away from downtown streets^[10]
• 1951: Renovation to underground concourses begins
• November 1952: Final depot renovation begins under NP, costing $128,000^[11][12]
  • New lunchroom and ticket office
• September 1953: Renovation program complete, at cost of $250,000^[13]
  • Green ceramic tile used, resulting in blue color?^[14]
  • Later painted baby blue
• Other train stations:
  • Great Northern (demolished in Febuary 1973, clocktower remains)^[15][16]
  • Union Station for Union Pacific and Milwaukee Road: Constructed in 1913, demolished in 1973 for World's Fair^[17]

Amtrak era

• 1974 World's Fair special service

Renovation

• 1991: Farmers market proposal^[18]
• July 1991: Federal government rejects $4.2 million grant for renovation project^[19]
  • State funding signed hours earlier
• February 1992: Federal appropriations bill includes funding, credited to House Speaker Tom Foley^[20]
  • Formally announced by USDOT in July 1992^[21]
  • Approved by FTA in April 1993
• July 1993: Construction begins (contractor: Lydig Construction)^[22]
• April 1994: New platform with elevator opens
• December 12, 1994: New depot dedicated, cost $9 million to renovate (with federal funding)^[23][24]
  • Old Greyhound terminal at 1125 W Sprague closes^[25]
  • Service cuts to Empire Builder announced days later^[26]

• Empire Builder: train split/joined for Seattle (6 cars) and Portland (4) sections
• Nearby STA routes

Alternate title: Northern Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot (Yakima, Washington)

Northern Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot
General information
Location	32 N. Front Street Yakima, Washington, US
Owned by	BNSF Railway
Platforms	1 side platform
History
Opened	1910
Closed	October 25, 1981
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Ellensburg toward Seattle Empire Builder (1971–1981) Pasco toward Chicago

The Northern Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot is a former train station in downtown Yakima, Washington, United States. It was built by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1910 and was used for passenger service by Amtrak until 1981.

• 1886: First railroad depot (at current site), replacing temporary station in box car parked at Yakima Avenue for new town^[1]
  • Railroad moves Yakima north from original townsite in 1884^[2]
  • 100 buildings moved to new townsite^[3]

• 1898: New depot built with clocktower
  • Visited by Presidents Roosevelt (1903) and Taft (1909)
• 1908: Depot building sold and moved to Cherry Avenue for apartments while new depot is built
• 1971: Amtrak takes over
• October 1981: Amtrak reroutes Empire Builder to Wenatchee

Preservation

• Contributing property to Old North Yakima Historic District (NRHP)
• Current use: coffee shop and pizzeria

Centralia
General information
Location	210 Railroad Avenue Mount Vernon, Washington, US
Owned by	City of Centralia and BNSF Railway
Line(s)	BNSF Railway: Seattle Subdivision
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Bus operators	Twin Transit
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	CLT
History
Opened	1912
Rebuilt	2002
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Kelso toward Eugene 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 (1977–1997) Kelso toward Chicago
Centralia Union Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Centralia, Washington
Built	1912
NRHP reference No.	88000608
Added to NRHP	May 19, 1988

Centralia Union Depot is an Amtrak train station and historic landmark in Centralia, Washington, United States.

• 1872: NP arrives in area, "Centerville" is platted and later renamed Centralia^[1]
  • "Halfway" between Tacoma and Kalama
• Two earlier wooden stations: 1880 and 1905^[2]
• 1911: New depot requested by citizens, costs increase
• Constructed from 1910 to 1912 for Great Northern and OWR Navigation Company
  • Built to accommodate population boom
  • Initially handled 44 passenger and 77 freight trains per day
• Dedicated on June 1, 1912
  • Ready for service on June 24^[3]
• Chehalis depot built with near-identical (but smaller) design

Influence

• Centralia Railroaders baseball team in 1912

Amtrak

• June 1971: Centralia added to Amtrak routes as flag stop^[4]
  • Promoted to regular stop on July 12, after three month delay^[5]
  • Included in initial plans^[6]
• Deteriorated by 1980s
• 1988: NRHP listing
• 1996–2002: $4.4 million renovation under city ownership^[7]

• Brick
• Three buildings connected by breezeways (north and south wings, plus two-story terminal building)^[1]

• Cascades and Starlight
  • Pioneer until 1997
• Twin Transit

• March 2, 1902: Kalama to Vancouver line opened by Northern Pacific, with depot in different location^[1]
• 1906: Bridge construction begins
• November 17, 1908: Columbia River bridge completed as part of "North Bank" railroad
• December 26, 1908: Depot opened for Northern Pacific^[2]
  • Dimensions: 30 x 115 feet, two stories; brick base and stucco decoration; costs $13,000^[3]
• North Bank trains use old 8th & Hoyt depot in Portland, shares Vancouver depot with Northern Pacific^[4]
• Remained the only train station serving Portland commuters until streetcar service on Interstate Bridge began in 1917
• 1948: Temporary commuter train after Vanport Flood closes Interstate Bridge^[5]
• 1988: Renovations
• 1972: "fresh coat of [white] paint"^[6]
• 1972: Commuter train proposals for I-5 reconstruction in Vancouver
• September 1997: Temporary commuter train to Portland due to closure of Interstate Bridge for trunnion repair^[7]
  • Fare-free, three round trips (with two reverse),^[8] approximately 693 daily riders^[9]
• 2008: Renovations and restoration
• 2015: History exhibit^[10]

• Talgo livery: "distinctive evergreen and cappuccino hues on a cream background"^[1]
• Talgo stats: 250 seats; arranged in 13 cars with baggage car, two business/first class cars and seven coach class cars, one lounge car, and one service car; wheelchair accessible cars in the middle^[2]

Station articles: Seattle Center monorail terminal, Westlake Center monorail terminal

• Seattle P-I timeline (mostly 2000s)
  • Longer timeline (Aug 5, p. A1)
• Alweg Archives (archived)
  • Alweg Timeline
• HistoryLink feature
• Times coverage of 1990s/2000s program
• Landmark designation
• Popular Mechanics (December 1963, p. 74)
• KING-TV (March 1962, first preview ride): Seattle Monorail - World of Tomorrow

• 1980s: Trains renovated to use coiled springs and shocks, resulting in noisier and less comfortable ride^[1]
• November 8, 1983: Election to use tax levy general obligation bonds for improving the monorail^[2]

• 1997-11-04: Initiative 41 passed by Seattle voters, creating the Elevated Transportation Corporation (ETC) to develop and build a 54-mile-long (87 km) system with two lines^[3]
  • Full plan
• 2000-07-31: Seattle City Council passes Amendment 113304, relegating the ETC to an advisory committee^[4][5]
• 2005: Monorail plan rejected by city government^[6]
• 2008-01-17: Seattle Monorail Authority formally dissolves, after $124 million in taxpayer funding spent^[7][8]

• Simpsons episode? (From "1964" World's Fair)
  • Later referenced at Monorail Plan hearings^[9]
  • Cease and desist sent by Fox^[10][11]