Union Station (Columbus, Ohio)

Columbus
The third Columbus Union Station in June 1970
Coordinates	39°58′15″N 83°00′04″W / 39.970717°N 83.001017°W / 39.970717; -83.001017Coordinates: 39°58′15″N 83°00′04″W / 39.970717°N 83.001017°W / 39.970717; -83.001017
History
Closed	April 28, 1977
Services
Former services   Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Dayton toward Kansas City National Limited Pittsburgh toward New York City or Washington, DC Preceding station   New York Central Railroad   Following station Galloway toward Cincinnati Cincinnati – Cleveland Worthington toward Cleveland Marysville toward Toledo Toledo – Charleston South Columbus toward Charleston, West Virginia Pennsylvania Railroad Plain City toward Chicago Chicago – Columbus Terminus Hilliards toward St. Louis St. Louis – Columbus West Jefferson toward Cincinnati Cincinnati – Columbus Terminus Columbus – Pittsburgh Black Lick toward Pittsburgh Columbus – Cleveland Westerville toward Cleveland Sandusky Branch Worthington toward Sandusky

Columbus Union Station and its predecessors served railroad passengers in Columbus, Ohio from February 27, 1850, until April 28, 1977.

Columbus Union Station as it is recalled today was actually the third Union Station in Columbus. The previous two served in the nineteenth century, and their replacement and upgrade reflected the rapid growth in traffic and importance of Columbus' railroads at that time. The subsequent decline in rail passenger traffic following World War II was reflected in Union Station's demolition and replacement with a convention center in the early 1980s.

In 1851, a site north of Naughten Street and east of High Street was purchased jointly from Orange Johnson by the Columbus and Xenia Railroad (C&X) and Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad (CC&C). A wood barn structure measuring 90 by 175 feet (27 by 53 m) was installed to serve passengers, the rest of the site given over to shops and freight tracks. The station had three tracks for loading and unloading of passengers. In 1853, the Central Ohio Railroad entered the city and connected to the station. In 1864, the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad was connected the Central Ohio at Newark, and entered the station on shared tracks. This road was called the "panhandle route" because it crossed the panhandle of West Virginia on its way east. The station was inadequate and in 1868 the railroads formed the Union Depot Company to undertake a replacement.

In May, 1873 work was begun on the second union station north of the existing station, and it opened on February 14, 1875. The first station was then demolished. Compared to its wooden predecessor, this new station was far more substantial. Constructed of brick, it had a large waiting room, ticket offices and railroad offices at the front of the structure. Seven tracks entered the structure and a long train shed kept passengers dry. In 1875, 42 daily passenger trains departed from the station.

The City of Columbus continued to grow northward with the opening of The Ohio State University in 1870. With the opening of the new union station, thirteen tracks now crossed north high street. The congestion between train and road traffic became unbearable. In 1875, a $45,000 tunnel was built under the tracks to allow streetcars and horsecarts to pass under the tracks. An extra mule was stationed at the tunnel entrance to assist horsecars up the steep grade. The tunnel was 150 feet (46 m) long with 550-foot (170 m) approaches on either side. It was so dark and smelly that only the horsecar passengers, who had no other choice, would use it.