Union Station (Jackson, Mississippi)

Union Station is an intermodal transit station in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. It is operated by the Jackson Transit System and serves Amtrak's City of New Orleans and later proposed Crescent Texas section rail line, Greyhound Lines intercity buses, and is Jackson's main city bus station.[2]

Union Station
Train station building as seen from Capitol Street
General information
Location300 West Capitol Street
Jackson, Mississippi
United States
Coordinates32°18′04″N 90°11′28″W / 32.30111°N 90.19111°W / 32.30111; -90.19111
Owned byCity of Jackson
Line(s)Illinois Central (CN)
Platforms1 side platform in use
3 island platforms disused
Tracks1 passenger (6 freight)
Train operatorsAmtrak
Bus stands11 JATRAN
10 Greyhound
Bus operatorsJackson Transit System
Greyhound Lines
Construction
Parking10 short and 73 long term spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: JAN
History
Opened1927
Rebuilt2003–2004
Passengers
FY 202337,057[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Hazlehurst City of New Orleans Yazoo City
toward Chicago
Former services
Preceding station Illinois Central Railroad Following station
Elton Main Line Northview
toward Chicago
Terminus Clarksdale – Jackson Asylum
toward Clarksdale
Clinton
toward Shreveport
Vicksburg Route Division Pearson
toward Meridian
Van Winkle
toward Natchez
Natchez – Jackson Terminus
Terminus Gulf and Ship Island Railroad Lakeland
toward Gulfport
Proposed services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Vicksburg
toward Fort Worth
Crescent
Proposed Texas Section
Meridian
toward New York
Location
Map

History

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Train service first came to Jackson, Mississippi in 1840, when the Clinton and Vicksburg Railway established a connection. The city became a more prominent rail hub after the American Civil War as a stop for what eventually became the Illinois Central Railroad. The modern Georgian Revival station was built in 1927 by Illinois Central when the rail lines were rebuilt through downtown.[3]

Passenger trains served in past

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The Illinois Central operated trains to these endpoints through the station:

The Alabama and Vicksburg Railway operated trains in cooperation with the Southern Railway and Vicksburg, Shreveport & Pacific Railway to these endpoints:

Revival

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After years of disuse, in 2003 the City of Jackson purchased the building from the Canadian National Railway, the successor to Illinois Central, with the intention of turning it into a multimodal hub named Union Station. The city undertook a $20 million renovation funded by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act and the Jackson Redevelopment Authority; Dale and Associates were chosen as architects. The city converted the building into the Jackson Transit System's primary bus station and added facilities for Greyhound Lines. The former freighthouse was converted for use by Amtrak, and other areas of the building were redesigned for commercial use. Dale and Associates received a 2005 Mississippi AIA Merit Award for the completed project.[3] It is listed as a Mississippi Landmark.

References

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  1. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Mississippi" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Jatran.com". jatran.com. JATRAN. 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2017, State of Mississippi" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  4. ^ January 1950 Illinois Central timetable, Tables A, B, D and F
  5. ^ Southern Railway timetable, 28 June 1925, Table 87 (page 56), [1]
  6. ^ Southern Railway timetable, 28 June 1925, Table 87 (page 56), [2]
  7. ^ Southern Railway timetable, 28 June 1925, Table 87 (page 56), [3]
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