What's your favorite train station?

[Antraker]

What's your favorite train station?

Here's my criteria for judging them:

* Architectural merit

* frequency and variety of trains served

* Accessibility to city and other modes of transport

* General experience if you have to get stuck waiting on a late train

I would want to know favorite stations in these categories:

Amtrak stations

Other North American stations

International, outside of North America.

With the exception of a visit to Britain 20 years ago, all of my experience is with Amtrak. Here are my choices:

Top place is either Washington Union of Philadelphia 30th street.

Boston South Station, Chicago Union Station, and Los Angeles Union Station are runners-up

New York Penn meets all the criteria except architectural merit.

There are some smaller stations that could be in the running if they had more train service, e.g., Tampa, Orlando, Denver, Pittsburgh, etc. Harrisburg has a nice station, but it's a pretty dead place to have to wait, not businesses of other services there. Good connections with Greyhound buses, though.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Top place is either Washington Union of Philadelphia 30th street.

IMHO, I would give the edge to 30th Street. Why? Because, while busy, it is a bit less crowded.

Also, I like its ClubAcela. Its quiet, comfortable, isolate from the crowd (yea, it shares that characteristic with the overall station), well stocked with snacks, and has those elevators giving direct and private access to the platforms.

 

[Bob Dylan]

:hi: Tough choice but have to give ther overall edge to Los Angeles Union Station even if there is no Lounge except a makeshift bar to wait in and only for the CS. :wub: The old jewels,

Chicago,Washington, Philadelphia and Boston South are all very good. My personal favorite, for its appearance and historical reasons, is Kansas City Union Station even if Amtrak is limited to a small bus station like waiting room, a counter and a cat walk to the platforms. St. Louis Union Station (no Amtrak) and Cincinnati's underused Gem also are impressive! IMO NY Penn is a pit!!! :help: In Canada Toronto's Union Station meets all your criteria for the Best Station!

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Even though I only had about an hour to look it over, I was quite impressed with the Portland OR station. Best Metro Lounge I have seen so far.

 

[yarrow]

i have never been east of chicago by train, but for stations i have seen la union station is the best. i can wander for hours there and always find some new detail

 

[the_traveler]

My favorite train station is which ever one I leave from next!

But (I know), I do like KIN (Kingston, RI). It DOES meet all the criteria above.

• Architectural merit - It is the original station built over 100 years ago.
• Frequency of trains - Regionals stop an average of every 2 hours, and although the AE zips thru at 150 MPH, there is an average of at least 1 train per hour each way.
• Accessibility to the city and other modes - RIPTA (the city bus) has a stop at the station and goes to Providence, Newport and Narragansett several times a day. There is also a large (free) parking lot at the station and also a walking/bike path that starts right at KIN.
• General experience waiting for a late train - Besides waiting inside, on the weekend (in the old "women's waiting area") is a train museum! And if nice, I think the manicured grounds is the best I have seen in the country to wait outside on the grass and under the trees!

Plus it's the home of CTE (Chez Traveler East)!

 

[LA Resident]

My favorite train station is which ever one I leave from next!

But (I know), I do like KIN (Kingston, RI). It DOES meet all the criteria above.

• Architectural merit - It is the original station built over 100 years ago.
• Frequency of trains - Regionals stop an average of every 2 hours, and although the AE zips thru at 150 MPH, there is an average of at least 1 train per hour each way.
• Accessibility to the city and other modes - RIPTA (the city bus) has a stop at the station and goes to Providence, Newport and Narragansett several times a day. There is also a large (free) parking lot at the station and also a walking/bike path that starts right at KIN.
• General experience waiting for a late train - Besides waiting inside, on the weekend (in the old "women's waiting area") is a train museum! And if nice, I think the manicured grounds is the best I have seen in the country to wait outside on the grass and under the trees!

Plus it's the home of CTE (Chez Traveler East)!

Sorry but shouldn't that be CVE?

Chez Voyageur Est?

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

i have never been east of chicago by train, but for stations i have seen la union station is the best. i can wander for hours there and always find some new detail

CUS is a great station as well, but sometimes you have to wander for hours to find your way OUT :lol:

 

[The Davy Crockett]

For architectural merit in the non-Amtrak station catagory, the MARC (built by the B&O) Point of Rocks, Marylnd station gets my vote.

In the Amtrak catagories, I really like the architecture of LA's US; the trains out of Chicago's US; the accessibility to the city of NYP, and the general experience while waiting for a late train of Pilly's 30th St.

 

[NorthCoastHiawatha]

Portland Union Station followed by San Diego.

Posting via wifi on the Cascades #513

 

[Shawn Ryu]

Oceanside is a nice little station.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

What's your favorite train station?

Amtrak stations

Washington Union Station

30th Street Philadelphia

What's your favorite train station?

Other North American stations

Gare Centrale, Montreal

Gare du Palais, Quebec City

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Ottawa VIA Station

 

[NETrainfan]

Boston's South Station is a favorite- especially because of the Club Acela. The station is very navigable for a large city station.

Another favorite is Santa Barbara- nice station; nice place.

My "funky" favorite is Lamy, NM because it is small and serves one of our favorite train stops- Santa Fe.

 

[Peter KG6LSE]

LA union. .....its the chairs .

Peter

 

[hello]

PDX ... "Go by Train" tower and the Metropolitan Lounge employees

BOS ... the Lounge

LAX ... the chairs

 

[zephyr17]

LAUPT

 

[Exiled in Express]

PHL 30th Street cathederal like and for the near 24 hour buzz and variety of food options

LAUS great connections and architecture but the food and waiting experience need to be improved

CUS only slightly behind, less impressive from the outside, better food options and connections are a draw

 

[tim49424]

My favorite is Tomah, WI......it's a pit, but it's where I take the train. It seriously needs work but I love it because it represents the beginning of my travels.

 

[dlagrua]

My favorite station is Philadelphias 30th street station. It still retains all of the grandeur that it had back in the golden days of railroading. It is large and has changed very little over the years. You can catch five or six different Amtrak train routes there going North, south or West.

 

[Shawn Ryu]

I hate Chicago Union Station. It is so hard to find the nearby El station, you actually have to walk 3 really long blocks. And there isnt enough room in the area where people actually wait for the train. It is tiny. The Great Hall is empty and useless because its not well connected to the boarding area.<div><br></div><div>At least in philly, the Market Street Line is really close to the station and at DC Union Station,  BOS/BON, LAX, NYP, the subway stations are right there in the station itself.</div>

 

[Eric S]

I hate Chicago Union Station. It is so hard to find the nearby El station, you actually have to walk 3 really long blocks. And there isnt enough room in the area where people actually wait for the train. It is tiny. The Great Hall is empty and useless because its not well connected to the boarding area.<div><br></div><div>At least in philly, the Market Street Line is really close to the station and at DC Union Station,  BOS/BON, LAX, NYP, the subway stations are right there in the station itself.</div>

I would agree that the "connection" between CUS and the 'L' is far less than ideal.

 

[AAARGH!]

I vote for Washington Union Station based on your criteria. It has the architectural elements, frequent Amtrak service, a subway station to connect to the rest of the city, great food, and it's within walking distance of the Capital, mall, etc....

LAUS is second on my list.

 

[jis]

In addition to all the ones that have been mentioned, I think Newark Penn Station is worthy of a mention...

Very heavy train traffic - Amtrak and NJTransit.

Multi-modal facility with heavy bus traffic.

PATH Heavy Rail to Jersey City, Hoboken and New York.

Newark City Light Rail downstairs.

Headhouse restored meticulously.

See what it looks like from outside in this photo.

It is an original Pennsylvania Railroad classic!

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Of the stations routinely served by Amtrak, I'd have to agree with Jishnu on Newark Penn. However... Its not my favourite by some margin. More than Newark Penn, I'd have a tossup between New York's Grand Central Terminal and the Delaware, Lackawanna, & Western terminal in Hoboken, NJ.