Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

UNION STATION

Union Station was constructed in 1914 by the Kansas City Terminal Railway Company to replace the 1878 Union Depot near the stockyards in the flood prone area known as the West Bottoms.

Rail traffic peaked during World War I - with 79,368 trains passing through the Station, including 271 trains on one day. A record 678,363 travelers, with a significant number of America's armed forces personnel passed through Union Station on their way home from World War II.

During the 1950s and 1960s passenger rail traffic declined as the airline industry grew. By 1973 only six trains a day passed through Union Station and in 1983 Union Station is virtually closed. The only businesses still open are the Amtrak ticket office and the Lobster Pot Restaurant. In 1989 even they have left the station.

Instead of serving passengers, Union Station has found new life as an entertainment and education destination. Amtrak will resume service from the Station in 2002.

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