Union Station

[GarrettCarey]

Well, I have finally ridden the Trinity Railway Express. I rode it this past saturday from Union Station to the Hurst/Bell station. First, I must say that I was quite impressed with the train experience. It was very nice and actually quite crowded.

However, Dallas Union Station is pathetic! My goodness.
The inside was ugly, empty, and dark. There were two security guards who ignored me when I asked questions, I could not find a DART employee anywhere inside, and I could not get change for a $20. I know there is not a lot of traffic flowing through the station....but this was really not a good experience. Has anyone else been through there with a similar experience?

[bloodandpopcorn]

Well I haven't tried to talk to them, but I have walke through their area and noticed how they appear to be very unfriendly. I think that Unioin Station just needs more foot traffic. That would happen due to trains for some time, so, maybe opening up stores in the area? And some major restaurant in htere? with perhaps some ground floor, typical railway station eateries and newspapers shops, etc? We've talked about htis before, but it just seems to stay the same, if not get worse.

[UrbanLandscape]

I think the biggest change will be with the fall of Amtrak. When private companies get their hands on the train system, we could possibly see a return to greatness...perhaps not a golden age, but certainly a fine one!

I love trains, if you didn't notice!

[bloodandpopcorn]

I really hope that happens soon. I feel bad for Amtrak, in a way, because I think they've tried tehir hardest and simply aren't able to fulfill the need. When do you think the fall will go into full motion, and private, commerical railway companies start resurfacing?

[UrbanLandscape]

It would have been better, if not for the federal support of the airlines...of course that had no bearing on it...

Yeah...someday...

[texman]

What do you think they should do about Union Station since its about to become the hub of the 2 new DART lines(yellow and purple)? My belief is that they should relocate the parkinglot between the Terminal and the platforms and replace it with 2 new tracks with platforms ending with bumpers. Therefore the Red and Blue line trains can pass through without being disturbed from drivers needing to switch cabs on the yellow and purple trains. ideas, suggestions?

[aceplace]

Texman,

Where did you hear this? I would have thought that the yellow line would have to serve the downtown stations?

[gc]

i have not heard this either.

[texman]

according to dart, yelllow is serving westend and union station, purple serving all downtown stations and union station as the end point

[psukhu]

A few years ago Boston built a new bus terminal (like our Greyhound station) adjacent to one of their large train stations. (like our Union station)

http://www.gocitykids.com/browse/attraction.jsp?id=11127


I think the same thing should be done in Downtown Dallas.

[aceplace]

That's a good idea, Psukhu... The Union Station terminal is so underused, it's heartbreaking... and the existing Greyhound station is too small for a city this size... the additional business generated by the bus passengers would give Amtrak and TRE and DART passengers more amenutues than they currently have...

[texman]

Ah, yes as i forgot to mention what to do with the building itself too. I think they should renavate it with the traditional style but add lots off glass and "waves" with a modern style like they did to boston south station making the deco and modern contrast with eachother. and then also like i said at the begining add the two new rail lines, dallas has enough parking lots as it is

[Columbus Civil]

texman, sounds interesting. Do you have any renderings drawn up yet?

[texman]

BLAH

[texcolo]

They should add some sort of glass awening over the boarding area in back like Victoria Station in London.

[CTroyMathis]

Wow effect.

[CTroyMathis]

Again...

[tamtagon]

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away....

[gc]

exactly tamtagon.

those are awesome!

[bloodandpopcorn]

ahhh! Yes! More of that! Union Station must be returned to that level of excellence. Away with the parking lots! In with more train tracks! Bring back the overhead crossing (so that we can eventually run express trains and not have some stupid passenger act as a mosquitoe). Union Station must be brought back to that level of grandeur... or more! It's too bad that it is so landlocked now...

[mikedsjr]

sorry to get off topic, but that last pic shows me that dallas downtown area could have looked so large if they didn't enclose it with highways.

[gc]

Absolutely right. The elevated highways really hurt DTD.

[evdallas]

Originally posted by mikedsjr
sorry to get off topic, but that last pic shows me that dallas downtown area could have looked so large if they didn't enclose it with highways.

the grass is greener...

[Haretip]

Wow, that is a VERY SMALL downtown compared to what we have now. The 6-7 streets laid out to the John Nealy Bryan alignment (parallel to Main Elm and Commerce) are the only streets with any substantial structures on them (other than a few buildings that are popping up north of Pacific, the northernmost Bryan alignment street seen in the photo. These look like incredibly old photos - it looks like the Texas & Pacific Railroad is still on Pacific. Anybody know what year?

No triple underpass, no buildings west of the railroad tracks (in fact, there's the Trinity at the bottom of the photo before it was relocated West).

Look at all the empty space on the lower right just below the Santa Fe railyard where all the Belo holdings are today. Is that a junkyard or dump there? No convention center and Pioneer cemetery looks like it is on the edge of town.

I think I can see Central slicing throught the street grid at the top left of the card.... Houston and Texas Central Railroad, that is!

[crescentboi]

The one thing that tells me about what year it would be is that the Davis Building, or as it was then Republic Bank Building, is the original, before the addition. The addition was put on in 1936 if I remember correctly, so this is somewhere from 1926 to 1936. Hopefully that help narrows it down somewhat!

[John T Roberts]

The first picture was taken between 1922 and 1925. The second picture was taken between 1926 and 1931. The way that I have determined this is through looking at the opening dates of the skyscrapers built between 1920 and 1936.