Indianapolis Union Station

Indianapolis Union Station
Company type	Transportation hub
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	September 20, 1853; 173 years ago
Headquarters	Indianapolis, United States
Products	Passenger rail services (Amtrak)

Indianapolis Union Station serves as an intercity rail terminal located in the Wholesale District of Indianapolis, Indiana. Presently, the station is a stop for Amtrak's Cardinal route, which passes through Indianapolis three times weekly in each direction.

The concept of the union station originated in Indianapolis, which established the first such facility worldwide in 1848. The initial station, situated at 39 Jackson Place and operated by the Indianapolis Union Railway, commenced operations on September 20, 1853. Later, a more expansive Richardsonian Romanesque structure, designed by Pittsburgh architect Thomas Rodd, was erected on the same site beginning in November 1886 and opened its doors in September 1888. The head house and clock tower from this second iteration still stand today.

Currently, Amtrak, the national passenger rail service, operates from a waiting area beneath the station’s train shed. The station is served by the Cardinal line connecting Chicago and New York City via Cincinnati and Washington, DC. It also previously functioned as the eastern endpoint for the Hoosier State until that service ended on June 30, 2019.

Architecture

The design by Thomas Rodd was heavily inspired by architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). According to historian James R. Hetheringon, Rodd—who hailed from Pittsburgh—had examined Richardson’s nearly finished Allegheny County Courthouse prior to Richardson’s passing in 1886. This courthouse is regarded as Richardson’s masterpiece and significantly influenced Union Station, making it one of the oldest extant examples of this architectural style.

The three-story edifice is built using granite and brick, accented with Hummelstown brownstone trim. Characteristic Romanesque features include a battered water table and prominent brick arches. Key architectural highlights comprise a large rose window, a slate roof, corner bartizans, and an imposing clock tower. Additionally, the 1888 building incorporated an extensive iron train shed at street level.

Early history

Rail service first arrived in Indianapolis via the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad in 1847. Initially, several competing railroads operated separate stations scattered throughout the city, complicating logistics for passengers and freight alike. Indianapolis pioneered a solution by creating a genuine union station utilized collectively by all railroads. The Union Railway Company was established in August 1849 to link these lines and constructed a substantial brick train shed at their convergence in 1853. While Columbus, Ohio had built a union station earlier in 1851, Indianapolis’s approach was distinguished by true joint ownership rather than leasing arrangements.

As rail traffic increased, the original facility proved insufficient. In response, Thomas Rodd—then affiliated with the Pennsylvania Railroad—was commissioned to design a new station. This replacement opened in 1888 and by 1889 accommodated 320,996 passenger cars over 45,204 trains as well as 861,991 freight cars. By 1893 approximately 25,000 passengers traveled daily on about 120 trains.

By the turn of the century, daily train movements exceeded 200, necessitating further expansion. Between 1915 and 1922, an elevated train shed was built to eliminate conflicts with street-level traffic. At its height, Indianapolis Union Station ranked just behind Chicago’s Union Station as the Midwest’s busiest railroad hub.

Post-World War II Period

During the 1940s, prominent railroads servicing the station included the Baltimore & Ohio, Monon Railroad, Illinois Central, New York Central, Nickel Plate Road, and Pennsylvania Railroad. Following the conclusion of World War II, long-distance passenger rail travel in the United States experienced a steady downturn.

Among the notable passenger trains that operated through the union station were several distinguished services managed by Amtrak, Monon Railroad, New York Central, and Pennsylvania Railroad. Many of these routes were discontinued by the 1970s. Important trains included:

Railroad	Train name	Western or northern terminus	Eastern or southern terminus	Year service ended
Amtrak	Cardinal	Chicago (Union Station)	New York, New York (Penn Station)	Still operating
	Hoosier State	Chicago	final stop	2019
	James Whitcomb Riley	Chicago	New York	1974
	Kentucky Cardinal	Chicago	Louisville, Kentucky (Union Station)	2003
	National Limited	Kansas City (Union Station)	New York	1979
	Floridian	Chicago (Union Station)	St. Petersburg or Miami	1979
Monon Railroad	Hoosier	Chicago	final stop	1959
Monon Railroad	Tippecanoe	Chicago	final stop	1959
New York Central	Corn Belt Special	Pekin, Illinois	final stop	1957
	Southwestern Limited / Knickerbocker	St. Louis, Missouri (Union Station)	New York	1967
	Cincinnati Special / Sycamore	Chicago (La Salle Street)	Cincinnati, Ohio (Union Station)	1967
Pennsylvania Railroad	Indianapolis Limited	final stop	New York (old Penn Station)	1957
	Kentuckian	Chicago	Louisville (Union Station)	1968
	St. Louisan	St. Louis	New York	1968
Pennsylvania Railroad and Penn Central, 1967–1970	Penn Texas	St. Louis	New York (new Penn Station)	1970
Pennsylvania Railroad and Penn Central, 1967–1971	South Wind	Chicago	St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Miami	1971
Pennsylvania Railroad and Penn Central, 1967–1971	Spirit of St. Louis	St. Louis	New York	1971

This reduction mirrored larger changes in transportation trends and significantly altered the station's presence in regional rail networks.

Period of Decline

Passenger traffic declined sharply throughout the 1960s and continued into the era dominated by Amtrak. Stations in cities lacking commuter rail systems often fell into disrepair, with many facing closure or demolition. Indianapolis's Union Station was nearly abandoned; by the late 1970s, it had become a hotspot for vagrancy and vandalism, leading to frequent interventions by police and fire services. Efforts by local officials aimed to preserve and rejuvenate the historic structure. Although Amtrak had proposed an AutoTrak service originating from Union Station during the 1970s, this plan was eventually scrapped.

In 1971, the municipal government allocated $197,000 to acquire ownership of the building. On July 14, 1982, Union Station was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Beginning in 1984, extensive renovations converted the former railroad terminal into a festival marketplace. The Indianapolis-based firm Woollen, Molzan and Partners led restoration efforts on the historic train shed, which reopened in 1986. The redeveloped space featured dining establishments, nightclubs, specialty retail outlets such as an NBC Store and a model train shop. The eastern platform area was transformed into a sizable food court accompanied by multiple bars and nightlife venues. Sculptures representing typical figures from the railroad era were placed throughout the facility. The western section housed a 273-room Crowne Plaza Hotel, including 26 rooms situated within thirteen preserved historic Pullman cars.

The marketplace phase concluded in 1997 when the final non-hotel tenant—a Hooters restaurant—relocated nearby. The opening of the adjacent Circle Centre Mall in September 1995 attracted much of the retail clientele away from Union Station. A proposed pedestrian bridge connecting Union Station with Circle Centre was rejected due to concerns over historic preservation; constructing an underground link was considered financially impractical. Subsequently, ownership transferred to the city, which explored alternative uses for the building and eventually leased portions for office space and an indoor go-kart facility.

21st century

The 21st Century Charter School was founded inside Union Station in 2002. At the same time, the Crowne Plaza Hotel increased its presence within the building, while various other entities began leasing office space. By 2006, occupants included Bands of America, the Consulate of Mexico (which has since relocated), the Indiana Museum of African American History, the Japan-America Society of Indiana, and the Indiana Pacers academy. The building’s directories continue to feature Spanish alongside English, a testament to Indianapolis’s evolving demographics and the former location of the Mexican Consulate. The Grand Hall remains a favored site for hosting banquets and special events.

In January 2011, an underground pedestrian tunnel was inaugurated, linking the expanded Indiana Convention Center (ICC) with Lucas Oil Stadium and providing direct access to the Crowne Plaza hotel situated at Union Station’s west entrance. This climate-controlled corridor replaced a previous above-ground connection to the now-demolished RCA Dome, thereby enhancing connectivity among major downtown venues.

Since Amtrak began operations in 1971, passenger rail service has been limited in Indianapolis. Initially, three trains served the city, but due to deteriorating Penn Central tracks, most routes were gradually diverted away except for the National Limited, which ceased operations in 1979. This termination disconnected Indianapolis from the national rail system and isolated Amtrak’s nearby maintenance hub at Beech Grove Shops. Rail service resumed in 1980 with the introduction of the Hoosier State running between Indianapolis and Chicago, later complemented by the New York-to-Chicago Cardinal starting in 1986. These two trains offered nearly daily service until Indiana ended its support in June 2019.

From 1999 to 2003, the Kentucky Cardinal, an extension of the Hoosier State, linked Indianapolis to Louisville as part of the Cardinal route. After discontinuing the Hoosier State, Indianapolis reverted to being served by a single daily train for only the second time in its history.

Union Station also functions as a hub for two Amtrak Thruway bus routes that connect cities across western and central Illinois, as well as another route linking Nashville, Louisville, and Cincinnati en route to Chicago.

Since 1979, Amtrak passengers have used a waiting area located at street level on Illinois Street within Union Station’s southern train shed. The station shares this facility with the city’s Greyhound bus terminal, creating a modest intermodal transit center without commuter or light rail options. The Greyhound ticket counter is positioned directly across from Amtrak’s.

In fiscal year 2013, Indianapolis saw an average daily ridership of approximately 99 Amtrak passengers—one of the lowest figures among metropolitan areas with populations exceeding two million—but it remains Indiana’s busiest Amtrak station.

The original 1888 station building is primarily leased as office space to generate revenue for upkeep. Despite various attempts, securing a profitable and high-profile tenant has proven difficult. Meanwhile, the Crowne Plaza Hotel continues its operations within the train shed area and leases out both the main concourse and Grand Hall for events.

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