The Union Depot, an historic 1920s train depot located in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, is undergoing a major renovation to restore the facility to its original purpose as the region’s transportation hub. The 33-acre site will be transformed into a state-of-the-art multimodal Midwest regional transit hub, bringing together rail, bus, motor vehicles, bicycle and pedestrian traffic. In addition, the destination will become a magnet for shopping and entertainment.

When completed, Amtrak’s Empire Builder service, currently located at a station in the Midway area of Saint Paul, will relocate to The Union Depot. In addition, The Depot will be the transfer point for Central Corridor light rail transit as well as Metro Transit, Jefferson Lines and Greyhound intercity and regional bus lines, bicyclists and pedestrians. The Union Depot will be a hub for future regional transitways including the corridors of Rush Line, Red Rock, Gateway, Robert Street, and Riverview. Plans are for future high-speed rail from Chicago to also stop at the Depot.

Project Highlights:

Job creation
This project will create 3,000 jobs for all companies involved. On-site trades jobs are estimate to be 1,200 and work hours will total 750,000. Peak on-site workforce will be 300, and more than 95 percent of workforce will be local tradespeople.

Large Riverfront Site
The Union Depot is on a 33-acre site in downtown Saint Paul, representing approximately one-third of the downtown Saint Paul riverfront. Twenty-two acres of the site is an elevated train deck.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
This project is seeking LEED Silver certification.

Head House 
The iconic facade that faces Fourth Street will welcome patrons to a large receiving and ticketing area.

Waiting Room
Approximately the size of a football field (300 x 80 feet), this elevated section of historic Union Depot was once used as a passenger waiting and baggage handling area. In this area are skylights that were blacked out during WWII, which will be re-opened as part of the renovation. The Waiting Room will be restored for use as originally intended.

Terra Cotta Relief Cornice
Historic detail in the Waiting Room, this cornice is a decorative frieze that portrays the progress of transportation from the ox cart to and electric locomotive. It will be fully restored as part of the renovation.

Concourse
The Head House and Waiting Room are connected via an elevated concourse, which is located over Kellogg Boulevard.

997 Pilings
The number of new pilings that will be installed to support the elevated train deck.

The St. Paul Union Depot Company was incorporated in 1879 by nine railroads serving the Saint Paul area for the purpose of building and operating a single, jointly owned passenger station. Within four years, the first Union Depot was ready to serve the community.

The newly-renovated Union Depot, originally completed in 1926 and on the National Register of Historic Places, is expected to reopen to the public in late 2012.

(The photo, right, of the Union Depot in 1882, is courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society photo collection.)

1881:	The first Union Depot opens.
1884:	The first Union Depot is destroyed by fire and subsequently rebuilt on the same site.
1889:	The reconstructed Union Depot experiences a peak year, handling eight million passengers and 268 trains departing daily.
1913:	The head house of the first Union Depot is destroyed by fire.
1914:	Architect Charles Sumner Frost is commissioned to design a new Union Depot for the Chicago, Milwaukee, Saint Paul & Pacific Railroad (The Milwaukee Road). He uses a Classical Revival style.
1917:	The current Union Depot is started, although it is not completed until 1926, due to construction delays related to World War I.
1920s:	At its peak in the 1920s, there were 282 train movements daily. The concourse had 10 platforms serving 20 tracks and 20,000 passengers daily.
1941:	World War II troops are deployed through the Union Depot and the skylights in the waiting room are blacked out.
1971:	The last passenger train leaves Saint Paul Union Depot on April 30, 1971. Amtrak train station moves to Midway area of Saint Paul.
1974:	The Union Depot is designated on the National Register of Historic Places.
2005 - 2008:	Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority purchases The Union Depot property from United States Postal Service and other owners.
2009:	Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority purchases Head House public area, securing ownership of the 33-acre facility.
2010:	Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority begins rehabilitation with $45 million in SAFETEA-LU funding for projects of regional and national significance.
2011:	Major construction renovation begins to return The Union Depot to its original purpose of showcasing the region’s vast rail and transportation resources and serving the community's transportation needs.