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Centralia, WA
Amtrak inter-city rail station
Centralia Union Depot.jpg
Centralia Union Depot in 2011
Location 210 Railroad Avenue
Centralia, Washington 98531
United States
Coordinates 46°43′03″N 122°57′10″W / 46.7174°N 122.9529°W / 46.7174; -122.9529
Owned by BNSF Railway & City of Centralia
Line(s) BNSF Railway Seattle Subdivision
Platforms 1 side platform
Tracks 1
Connections Twin Transit
Construction
Parking Free
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code CTL
History
Opened 1912
Rebuilt 2002
Traffic
Passengers (2018) 28,218 Increase 12.1%
Services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Kelso Amtrak Cascades Olympia-Lacey
Kelso Coast Starlight Olympia-Lacey
toward Seattle
Former services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Olympia-Lacey
toward Seattle
Pioneer
Discontinued in 1997
Kelso
toward Chicago
Joint Great Northern/Northern Pacific/
Union Pacific service
Preceding station Great Northern Railway Following station
Chehalis
toward Portland
Portland–Seattle Line Bucoda
toward Seattle
Preceding station Northern Pacific Railway Following station
Chehalis
toward Portland
Portland–Seattle Line Bucoda
toward Seattle
Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station
Chehalis
toward Portland
Portland–Seattle Line Bucoda
toward Seattle
Centralia Union Depot
Location 210 Railroad Avenue
Centralia, Washington
NRHP reference No. 88000608
Added to NRHP 1988
Location
Centralia, WA is located in Washington (state)
Centralia, WA
Centralia, WA
Location in Washington (state)
Centralia, WA is located in the United States
Centralia, WA
Centralia, WA
Location in the United States

The Centralia Union Depot is an Amtrak train station in Centralia, Washington, United States. It is served by the Cascades and Coast Starlight trains.

The track and platforms are owned by BNSF Railway. Local transit connections are provided by Twin Transit.

History

The station was constructed by the Northern Pacific Railway (NP) and opened in 1912. It is the third station to have been constructed in Centralia since rail service began in 1880.

The large brick structure was built to accommodate a 400% population boom in the area from 1900-1914. Only 2 years after its opening, Centralia Union Depot was being served by 44 passenger trains and 17 freight trains daily. The station faced 14 hotels along Tower Avenue, as well as 5 theaters and 8 banks in the downtown core.

NP later merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) in 1970, and Amtrak began operating passenger rail service on the Seattle–Portland route on May 1, 1971. Amtrak trains initially did not stop in Centralia, but were added during a service change on July 12, 1971. The demise of NP, coupled with increased automobile traffic on Interstate 5 saw the Centralia Union Depot deteriorate, much as the city's downtown core was experiencing economic decline. Local civic leaders recognized the problem during the mid-1980s and began a two-decade project that would see the structure acquired by the city and restored as part of a larger downtown revitalization project.

The 1996 merger of BN with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to form the BNSF Railway (BNSF) spurred both the city and the state Department of Transportation (Rail Branch) to negotiate with BNSF to acquire the depot. Following its purchase, the city began the design process for the historic restoration which took place as follows:

  • Phase 1 (1996) consisted of exterior work. Stabilize structure deterioration, restore roof dormers that had been removed, install new tile roof, re-point brick exterior, new utilities, new parking lots at each end of the building.
  • Phase 2 (2000) consisted of interior work. New floors, restored mill work and brass fittings, Amtrak ticket office, baggage room, freight room, express building, HVAC, elevator.

The restoration project was completed in April 2002 and celebrated in the city's "Railroad Days" festival.

The depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


  • Amtrak – Stations – Centralia, WA
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