Union Station (Portland, Maine)

Union Station was a train station in the Libbytown neighborhood of Portland, Maine, which operated from 1888 to 1960. Located on St. John Street, it was demolished in 1961 and is now the site of a strip mall.

Union Station
Union Station, c. 1909
General information
Location	St. John Street, Portland, Maine
Coordinates	43.6522°N 70.2804°W / 43.6522; -70.2804
Operated by	Boston and Maine Railroad Maine Central Railroad
History
Opened	June 25, 1888
Closed	October 30, 1960
Key dates
August 31, 1961	demolished
Former services
Preceding station Boston and Maine Railroad Following station Rigby toward Boston Western Route Terminus Eastern Route Preceding station Maine Central Railroad Following station Terminus Main Line Woodfords toward Bangor Portland – Waterville via Lewiston Woodfords toward Waterville Cumberland Mills toward St. Johnsbury White Mountains Line Terminus

History

Union Station Plaza, which now occupies the former site of the station

Designed by Boston architects Bradlee, Winslow & Wetherell, the station building was inspired by the designs of medieval French châteaux.^[1] It was a primarily granite building, with a 188-foot (57 m) clock tower.^[1] The union station opened on June 25, 1888, serving trains of the Boston and Maine, Maine Central, and Portland and Ogdensburg railroads,^[2] although the Grand Trunk Railway continued to use a different station two miles away on India Street.^[3]

The Maine Central ended passenger rail service to the station in September 1960, and it closed on October 30, when the Boston and Maine moved its remaining trains out of the facility.^[4] On August 31, 1961, the train station was demolished, and a strip mall built on the property.^[4][5] Nevertheless, the Boston and Maine continued multiple daily trains from Portland itself to Boston until 1965.^[6][7]

Preservation group Greater Portland Landmarks was formed in 1964, in response to the station's demolition.^[8]

Passenger trains

Noteworthy trains into the 1950s and in some cases to 1960:^[9][10]

• Boston and Maine:
  • East Wind (Portland-Washington, DC) (summer only)
  • State of Maine (Portland-New York City)
• Boston and Maine and Maine Central Railroad
  • Bar Harbor Express (Ellsworth-Washington, DC) (summer only):
  • Flying Yankee (Bangor-Boston, via Lewiston)
  • Gull (Halifax-Boston via Lewiston)
  • Penobscot (Bangor-Boston via Augusta)
  • Pine Tree (Bangor-Boston via Augusta)
• Maine Central Railroad:
  • unnamed trains to Bangor via Lewiston, to Bangor via Augusta, to Rockland, to Calais via Ellsworth, to Farmington, to Montreal via North Conway

A proposal to move Amtrak's Downeaster service from the Portland Transportation Center to a site near Union Station's original location has been endorsed by the Maine Department of Transportation.^[11]

See also

• Portland Railroad Company, a streetcar line that served Union Station

References

1. "From the dust of Union Station,Portland preservation arose". Portland Press Herald. 31 August 2011. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
2. "Union Station, Portland, ca. 1900". Maine Historical Society. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
3. "Index of Railroad Stations". Official Guide of the Railways. 91 (3). National Railway Publication Company. September 1955.
4. Holland, Kevin (2004). Passenger Trains of Northern New England in the Streamline Era. Lynchburg, VA: TLC Publishing. ISBN 1-883089-69-7.
5. Staff Report (2022-12-15). "MaineHealth buys Portland shopping center for $16.8 million". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
6. Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. ISBN 9780685412947.
7. "Boston and Maine Railroad, Table 6". Official Guide of the Railways. 97 (7). National Railway Publication Company. December 1964.
8. "Outcry prompts Portland council to consider rezoning site on Forest Avenue where CVS plans store". Press Herald. 2016-01-30. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
9. "Boston & Maine Railroad, Tables 3, 5". Official Guide of the Railways. 91 (3). National Railway Publication Company. September 1955.
10. "Maine Central Railroad, Tables 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10". Official Guide of the Railways. 91 (3). National Railway Publication Company. September 1955.
11. "Report recommends relocating Amtrak Downeaster station". WMTW. February 25, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.

External links

• Media related to Union Station (Portland, Maine) at Wikimedia Commons