Why are there so many Union Stations across the United States?
If you have ever traveled by train in the United States, or even just come across the downtown of a major, or perhaps even a smaller city, chances are you have encountered a station named Union Station. From Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., there are dozens of stations with this name , some of them still in operation, some of them abandoned or repurposed. But why are they called Union Station? And what is their historical significance? Chicago Union Station (CUS) is always extravagantly decorated, even more so during the holidays! FRRandP photo, 2021. The name Union Station comes from the fact that these stations were built as joint facilities for multiple railroad companies that operated in the same city. Instead of having separate terminals for each railroad, which would be costly and inconvenient for passengers, the railroads agreed to share a common station where they could interchange traffic and offer connections to other lines. This way, travelers could access more destinations ...