Preserving the glory of the nation’s rail stations

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n the heyday of rail travel, many cities used the word “Union” in the name of their central rail station, signifying a place used by different railroad companies. Cities like Columbus and New Orleans lost their Union Stations to demolition, but places like Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Union Station in Denver and Union Depot in St. Paul, Minn., have endured long past the decline of intercity rail service.

As a task force of Cincinnatians looks at the future of Union Terminal and the Cincinnati Museum Center located there, Denver and St. Paul are celebrating the resurrection of their Union train stations. While the restoration projects in those cities focus on using the stations as transit hubs, there are lessons in them for Cincinnati’s efforts.

In Denver, metro residents approved a 0.4 percent sales tax increase in 2004 to fund a multibillion-dollar expansion of the region’s public transportation system, with a portion going to fund the Union Station renovation. (Federal loans are also being used to pay for the $500 million project.) Later this year Amtrak and light-rail trains, along with city buses, will begin to use the renovated station, while new restaurants, retail and a hotel will encourage station visitors to linger. In 2016, travelers will be able to travel between Union Station and Denver International Airport via commuter rail, and the neighborhood surrounding the station is undergoing revitalization as well.

Last month, President Barack Obama visited St. Paul’s Union Depot to announce a competition for infrastructure funding in a station that’s been renovated into a regional transit hub. Union Depot was once largely abandoned and shuttered; it’s now used by city and intercity buses, with light rail to Minneapolis and Amtrak service set for later this year. The $243 million project received primarily local and federal funds, with a smaller amount of state money added.

Of course, the future for Cincinnati’s Union Terminal is different from these two transit hubs. The building, which houses the Cincinnati Museum Center, is decaying rapidly and needs about $180 million to fix it. The construction of Interstate 75 cut it off from Downtown, and it’s unlikely to be revitalized for transit or to attract adjacent housing and retail. But the museum center gives the building a purpose and a reason to preserve an important piece of our heritage.

As business leaders and elected officials weigh whether and how to save Union Terminal, we can learn from the examples of other cities that have decided to repurpose remnants of their past for future generations. ■