Union Station, Raleigh's future multi-modal transit center. A dedication ceremony was held on April 30, 2018, with the facility opening to passengers on July 10, 2018, replacing the smaller Amtrak Station.

Train Service

Raleigh's Union Station is served by three passenger trains; the Silver Star connecting New York City to Mami, Florida, the Carolinian connecting New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina, and the thrice-daily Piedmont connecting Raleigh to Charlotte.

Features

Union Station consists of three stories, with a large waiting area as well as retail and office space within the building. Also included are an outdoor sitting area as well as an observation deck. Passengers board the trains through an underground concourse connecting to a 920-foot island platform inside the Boylan Wye; it is the first high-level platform in North Carolina.

History

The project includes the adaptive reuse of the Dillon Viaduct Building and the construction of railroad track improvements and station platforms and concourses. The total cost of the project, developed in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and Triangle Transit (TTA), was projected to be approximately $60 million.

The Raleigh Union Station is located on the proposed high-speed rail corridor planned for the southeast. The proposed line runs from Washington, D.C. to Raleigh, then to Charlotte, and on Birmingham, Al. The station is scheduled to provide uninterrupted freight and passenger service within three years of the start of construction.

On June 22, 2012, the City of Raleigh received notice that it had been awarded a $21 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the United States Department of Transportation to help fund the first phase of the Raleigh Union Station project.

NCDOT pledged matching funds of $9 million and Triangle Transit pledged an in-kind match of the building and land, conservatively estimated at approximately $1.5 million. The City also pledged a $3 million match for construction of the station, from proceeds from the transportation bond passed by City voters in October 2011.

NCDOT notified the City that the combination of funding from various sources had left a $3 million funding gap. The state agency requested that the City contribute the additional $3 million needed to fully fund Phase One of the project.

Raleigh City Council by a six-to-one vote during the September 4, 2012 meeting approved an additional $3 million to cover a gap in funding for the Union State Project.

Future Plans

GoTriangle plans to construct a bus station on a 1.77-acre site at the intersection of West and Hargett Streets, serving as a secondary bus hub in Downtown Raleigh alongside Moore Square Station. Union Station will then be expanded by constructing a second island platform and a third track to support plans for a light rail service between Wake and Durham Counties. The possible inclusion of a northern concourse and platform is being researched in conjunction with the development of the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor

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