Dallas Union Station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dallas Union Station
Location	400 South Houston Street Dallas, Texas 75201 United States
Coordinates	32°46′34″N 96°48′27″W / 32.77611°N 96.80750°W / 32.77611; -96.80750
Owned by	City of Dallas
Line(s)	Dallas/UP
Platforms	1 side and 2 island platforms
Tracks	5 + 2 through tracks
Train operators	Amtrak, TRE and DART Light Rail
Connections	Dallas Streetcar DART Local Bus: 11, 19, 21, 60 D-Link: 722
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	20 long term and 20 short term parking spaces
Disabled access	Yes
Architect	Jarvis Hunt
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts
Other information
Station code	Amtrak code: DAL
Fare zone	TRE Eastern
History
Opened	October 14, 1916 (1916-10-14)
Rebuilt	1996, 2010
Traffic
Passengers (2019)	44,257  3.99% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Fort Worth toward Los Angeles or San Antonio Texas Eagle Mineola toward Chicago Preceding station Trinity Railway Express Following station Victory toward T&P Station Trinity Railway Express Terminus Preceding station Dallas Area Rapid Transit Following station Convention Center toward Westmoreland Red Line West End toward Parker Road Convention Center toward UNT Dallas Blue Line West End toward Downtown Rowlett
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Fort Worth toward Laredo or Houston Inter-American Longview toward Chicago Corsicana toward Houston Texas Eagle Until 1995 Mineola toward Chicago Fort Worth toward Houston Lone Star 1975-1979 Cleburne toward Chicago Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station Fort Worth toward San Angelo San Angelo – Dallas Terminus Duncanville toward Cleburne Cleburne – Paris Reinhardt toward Paris Preceding station Burlington Route Following station Fort Worth toward Denver Denver – Houston Fort Worth and Denver Railway Waxahachie toward Houston Preceding station Missouri Pacific Railroad Following station Fort Worth toward El Paso El Paso – New Orleans Missouri Pacific Railroad Terrell toward New Orleans Preceding station Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Following station Irving toward Minneapolis Minneapolis – Houston Waxahachie toward Houston
Dallas Union Terminal
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Area	5 acres (2.0 ha)
NRHP reference No.	75001966
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 29, 1975

Dallas Union Station, officially known as Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station, is a major train station in Dallas, Texas. It's a hub for different types of trains, including DART Light Rail, Trinity Railway Express commuter rail, and Amtrak intercity rail. The station is located in the Reunion area of Downtown Dallas. It's a special building, recognized as a Dallas Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

What Trains and Services Are Here?

Looking across the train tracks and platforms

Dallas Union Station is a busy place! You can catch several different trains here.

Amtrak Trains

The station serves Amtrak's Texas Eagle train. This long-distance train travels between Chicago and either San Antonio or Los Angeles. It's a great way to travel across the country.

Local Trains and Connections

• DART Light Rail: The station is a stop for the Red (Red Line) and Blue (Blue Line) light rail trains. These trains help people get around Dallas.
• Trinity Railway Express (TRE): It's also a stop for the TRE commuter train. This train connects Dallas and Fort Worth.
• Dallas Streetcar: Union Station is the starting point for the Dallas Streetcar. This streetcar can take you to nearby places.
• Bus Connections: You can also connect to several DART Local Bus routes (1, 19, 21, 60) and the D-Link bus (722).
• Nearby Attractions: The station is close to the Greyhound bus terminal, the George Allen Courts Building, Dealey Plaza, the Hyatt Regency hotel, and Reunion Tower.

Inside the Station

The station has two main floors.

• First Floor: This is where you'll find the Amtrak ticket window and a waiting room for passengers. There are also some offices for rent.
• Second Floor: This floor has a beautifully restored Grand Hall and several meeting rooms. These rooms are named after the old railroad companies that used to serve Dallas. A company called Wolfgang Puck Catering manages the second floor for events.

History of Dallas Union Station

Dallas Union Station has a long and interesting history.

Building a Central Hub

The station was built in 1916 by the Union Terminal Company. Before this, Dallas had five different train stations scattered around the city. The goal was to bring all train services into one main station. This made Dallas a very important transportation center in the southern United States. At its busiest, about 80 trains stopped here every day! The station was designed by Jarvis Hunt, a famous architect who designed many large train stations.

Many different railroad companies used the station, including:

• Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe)
• St. Louis Southwestern Railway (Cotton Belt)
• Fort Worth & Denver Railway
• Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (Rock Island)
• Burlington-Rock Island Railroad
• St. Louis and San Francisco Railway (Frisco)
• Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad (Katy)
• Southern Pacific Railroad
• Texas & Pacific Railway

Changes Over Time

In 1954, the building was used as a temporary library while the Dallas Public Library built a new main library.

Originally, the main waiting room on the second floor was connected to the train platforms by a walkway above the tracks. But travelers didn't like climbing so many stairs. Even after escalators were added, the main waiting room was eventually moved to the ground floor, which is still used today. An underground tunnel with ramps replaced the old overhead walkway.

New Train Services

The last private passenger train, the Texas Eagle by the Missouri Pacific Railroad, left the station on May 31, 1969.

Amtrak, a national passenger rail service, started service to Dallas Union Station on March 14, 1974. The first Amtrak train was the Inter-American. This train later became today's Texas Eagle. From 1975 to 1981, another Amtrak train called the Lone Star also served the station.

In 1996, DART's light-rail service began at the station. The old upper-level waiting room was then changed into a space for meetings and conventions, connected to the nearby Hyatt Regency Dallas hotel by an underground walkway.

Renaming the Station

In October 2016, the station was renamed the Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station. This was done to honor U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson for her work. Most people now call it EBJ Union Station.

Murals at the Station

In 1934, two artists named Jerry Bywaters and Alexander Hogue created a series of 10 murals. These murals showed important events from Dallas history. They were painted on the walls of the second-floor lobby at the old Dallas City Hall.

Sadly, these original murals were destroyed in 1954 when City Hall moved. However, when Union Station was updated for light rail trains, parts of these murals were recreated by an artist named Phillip Lamb. You can see them along the train platforms at Union Station today!