Union Station Neighborhood Co.

A Notable History

The first trains rolled into Denver Union Station in June of 1870. Since then, the station has burnt down once, gone through a handful of renovations, added tracks, taken down historic arches, and witnessed famous, infamous and unknown passengers.

Oh, if those walls could talk.

In much of the early 1900s, trains were the only respectable way to travel from city to city or across the Great Plains. Union Station was at its peak between the 1920s and 1930s accommodating nearly 80 trains per day. Approximately 20 years later, the station actually had more traffic than Denver’s airport in Stapleton. Alas, all good things go through phases and in the 80s, heavy rail travel decreased due to increase in air and car travel. RTD and its three agency partners (the City and County of Denver, Colorado Department of Transportation and Denver Regional Council of Governments) acquired the station in 2001. Since then, RTD constructed facilities for the current light rail, 16th Street Mall Shuttle and regional bus operations.

Rail travel has become popular again! Public transportation is cheap, convenient and safe. Today, passengers have an appreciation for and an interest in historic landmarks incorporating modern technologies like the Union Station Neighborhood.
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