

In addition, over $1 billion in private office, residential, hotel and retail development has sprouted up around the transportation hub in recent years. The iconic historic landmark itself, built between 18, re-opened in 2014 as a train hall with a 112-room hotel and multiple chef-owned restaurants, bars and boutique retail shops. Various components of the new transit hub emerged incrementally in following years, including the opening a light rail station and MallRide stop in 2011, an underground 22-gate bus concourse and return of Amtrak in 2014 and the implementation of commuter rail services in 2016. Planned as a single phase, $500 million multimodal transportation hub where bus rapid transit, local bus, commuter rail, light rail and intercity rail would come together, construction commenced in 2010. In 2006, two years after voters approved the FasTracks program, the Union Station Neighborhood Company was selected as the master developer of the old terminal site. In 2001, Union Station along with its old rail yards were acquired by RTD who then developed a master plan for the future of the 19.5-acre site in 2002. At its height, during the 1920s and 1930s, it was served by over 80 daily trains and surrounded by railyards of various railroad lines.Īnalogous to the Jacksonville Terminal, Denver Union Station’s importance as a transportation hub decreased with the national decline in passenger rail traffic during the 1960s and 1970s, eventually only being served by two daily California Zephyr Amtrak trains between Chicago and San Francisco Bay Area. Like downtown’s old Jacksonville Terminal, once the largest railroad station in the South serving 142 daily trains, Denver’s Union Station was constructed as an early 20th century Beaux-Arts style railroad terminal on the edge of the city’s urban core. In the future, JTA hopes to expand the transportation hub to include commuter rail and intercity rail, making the JRTC a major transit oriented development destination.Ī similar multimodal project in Denver provides Jaxsons with a glimpse of what can happen when support land use policies are seamlessly integrated with public transportation and infrastructure investment. When complete by the end of March 2020, the $59 million transportation center will feature enhanced connectivity between intercity bus, local bus, JTA Flyer bus rapid transit and JTA Skyway services. In a few months, JTA plans to open the Jacksonville Regional Transportation near the old Jacksonville Terminal passenger railroad station in LaVilla. Courtesy of City and County of Denver, Technology Services For additional information, such as details on shops and eateries, head to the Union Station website.1933 aerial of Denver Union Station. to 5:30 a.m., as well as Sunday from midnight to 5:30 a.m.
#Train to union station denver free#
Given that's a transit hub, Union Station is open 24/7 and free to enter, though the Great Hall is closed for cleaning Monday to Saturday from 2 a.m. The attraction is also accessible by light rail and it's within walking distance of the 16th Street Mall. There is valet parking in a secure lot available on-site and an app that accompanies the service for easy car retrieval. Union Station is situated in LoDo and about 25 miles west of Denver International Airport travelers can easily get from the airport to the train station for $10.50 one-way via the A Line in less than 40 minutes. Union Station is also a featured stop on many of the best Denver tours. The bars and restaurants can be pricey, though, so travelers suggest grabbing a drink during happy hour. This pastime has helped the train station earn the nickname of "Denver's living room." Visitors point out that the facilities are very clean for a working transportation terminal, and note that while the station is not as large as train stations in other cities, such as New York or Washington, D.C., it exudes charm. Travelers say the best way to experience Union Station is by relaxing in the comfortable couches and chairs for some people-watching. Located in the hip Lower Downtown neighborhood (aka LoDo), the station also houses multiple dining options and boutiques, as well as The Crawford Hotel. The architecture from the 1914 redevelopment remains, and today, it's home to an Amtrak hub and a bus concourse. The station was a huge success when it first opened to the public in 1881, providing railroad service until the center of the building caught fire in 1894. – Amanda Norcross, Content & SEO Strategist, Travelĭenver's Union Station serves a dual purpose: it's a working public transit station and a highly-praised dining and shopping center.

News Insider Tip: Have breakfast at Snooze (a local chain), but get there early – there's almost always a line because the food is that good.
