Union Station (Meridian, Mississippi) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Meridian, MS
Other names	Meridian Multi-Modal Transportation Center Union Station
Location	1901 Front Street Meridian, Mississippi United States
Coordinates	32°21′50″N 88°41′47″W / 32.3639°N 88.6964°W / 32.3639; -88.6964
Owned by	City of Meridian
Line(s)	Alabama Great Southern Railway Meridian Speedway
Platforms	2 island platforms
Tracks	3 (2 in use)
Connections	Amtrak Thruway Greyhound Lines
Other information
Status	Unstaffed
Station code	Amtrak: MEI
History
Rebuilt	December 1997
Traffic
Passengers (FY2019)	9,173 (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Laurel toward New Orleans Crescent Tuscaloosa toward New York
Former services Lua error in Module:Adjacent_stations at line 236: Unknown line "Dyersburg-Mobile".

Union Station, also known as the Meridian Multi-Modal Transportation Center, is a special building in Meridian, Mississippi. It's a place where different types of transport meet, like trains and buses. You can find it at 1901 Front Street. The station is part of the Union Station Historic District. This area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The station was officially opened on December 11, 1997. It combines a new part with a renovated section of the original 1906 building. Union Station is a hub for passenger travel. It serves Amtrak trains on the Norfolk Southern tracks. It also hosts Greyhound and other bus services.

Inside, there are meeting rooms on the mezzanine level. These rooms are used for community events. The east wing of the building holds Meridian's economic development office. Next to the station, there's a renovated building. It used to be for the Railway Express Agency. Now, it's the Meridian Railroad Museum. Visitors can learn about Meridian's rich history with trains there.

History of Meridian's Train Station

The First Train Depot

A postcard showing the original Union Station

Meridian's train story began in the 1850s. The Mobile and Ohio Railroad and the Alabama and Vicksburg lines met here. This meeting point helped Meridian grow. By the early 1900s, Meridian was Mississippi's largest city. Five major train lines passed through it. About 44 trains arrived and departed daily.

A group called the Meridian Terminal Company was formed. It included officers from several train lines. Their goal was to build a new passenger depot. The station also served trains from the Illinois Central Railroad. The new depot and a railway express building were finished in August 1906. They cost $250,000 to build. The design was in the Mission Revival Style architecture.

The original depot had a tall central tower. This tower was taken down in the late 1940s. More of Union Station was removed in 1966. Only the eastern wing of the passenger depot remained.

Planning for a New Station

Union Station's central tower

In 1991, a special committee was created. It was called the Multi-Modal Transit Study Committee. They wanted to see if a new transportation center was possible. Later that year, the Mississippi Department of Transportation approved a study. This study looked at the need for a new center in Meridian. It also checked possible locations.

The Study Committee included many people. There were community leaders, property owners, and government officials. They worked together to plan the new center. Their idea was to create a model facility. It would serve transportation needs for East Mississippi and West Alabama. It could also be a national example for small cities.

How the Project Was Funded

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) helped fund projects. This act supported multi-modal facilities. It also helped save historic transportation buildings. Meridian received $5.1 million in federal and state grants. This included the first ISTEA grant ever given by the state for a historic reconstruction. All this money went directly to building costs.

Union Station as seen from Front Street

Local money also helped the project. The city used a special funding method. This allowed them to lease the facility from a non-profit group. This group then sold shares of the lease to banks.

In 1993, more funds were approved. These were for preserving historic transportation structures. The Mississippi Department of Transportation approved them for this project. The total cost for building was about $6.5 million. Federal and state funds gave $5.1 million. The city contributed $1.3 million. Amtrak also gave $431,000.

Design and Building the Center

Looking at the Bus Terminal

To start the design, a team of architects and engineers was hired. They held meetings with the Study Committee. They discussed ideas for the new center. They created drawings to show what the project would look like. These drawings outlined the main parts of the transportation center.

The new center covers four city blocks. The Alabama Great Southern Railroad, part of Norfolk Southern, donated 6 acres (24,000 m²) of land. The Union Station site plan includes several areas:

• An area for adding more trains in the future.
• The Meridian Railroad Museum, which is the old REA building.
• A landscaped area with special brick pavers.
• The new terminal building, connected to the old depot wing.

East of the station, there is a farmers' market. There is also a park and an area for city events.

Union Station Today

Meridian Railroad Museum at Union Station

Union Station has made a big difference in Meridian. About 242,360 passengers use Amtrak trains, Greyhound buses, and Meridian Transit System buses each year.

Inside Union Station

The station has also encouraged new businesses. Over $8 million has been invested in the Depot District. This includes new offices and shops. There's also a computer training center and apartments. Two hotels, the Terminal Hotel and the Union Hotel, opened nearby. The Rosenbaum condominiums were renovated. Two restaurants and records storage buildings also opened. Meridian's famous Threefoot Building was also renovated into a fancy hotel.

The meeting rooms on the tower's mezzanine level are very popular. People use them for business meetings and social events. These include retirement parties, class reunions, birthday parties, and weddings. Residents and people connected to Meridian can buy special brick pavers. These bricks are engraved with names of loved ones or themselves. The pavers are placed in a brick pathway. This pathway links the tower and east wing to the railroad museum.

In April 2023, city officials announced good news. Amtrak plans a $13-million upgrade for the station. The work will be done in stages. This way, train service will not stop. The upgrades are expected to be finished in 2025.

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