America’s Train Stations: At The Intersection Of Advocacy And Historic Preservation
Statistics, dates, specifications, rosters listing important parameters associated with the various types and classes of locomotives and rolling stock, as well as other pertinent data crucial to the preservation of railroading in the U.S., must be documented.[1]
It’s this kind of actionable response one can not only insist upon but also get behind. Exactly the kind of cause that people have gotten behind, and for good reason.
Preservation: There’s more to it than just preservation-related work. What we’re also talking about here is advocacy. Without that, preservation, is left high and dry, really. And with this in mind, advocacy at All About Trains, as it happens, will be covered all throughout July.
Advocacy, as defined by Webster, is:
the act of pleading for, supporting, or recommending a cause or course of action; active espousal;…[2]
To put further context to this, on July 28, 2003, “Fresno ATSF depot getting rebuilt,” was published in the then National Corridors Initiative’s Destination: Freedom newsletter. It was an article I had penned.
Around that time, the depot had been at the center of intense debate, the difference of opinion if you will all having to do with restoring the structure and returning it to a state of good repair or letting it remain in its then state of “arrested decay” to instead build a completely new edifice south of that location directly south of the adjacent freight house.
At the time on the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans’) website this statement appeared:
The existing station is the former Santa Fe freight house.
It had served in this capacity coincident with the startup of Amtrak San Joaquin service in 1974 — three decades.
The decision to restore the original 1896 mission-style station won favor among those advocating for it. It was returned to active service in or around August 2004. The decision was the right one and the station still serves in this same capacity today. Amtrak was one of the concerns that contributed money which went into the restoration effort. The depot was rededicated on Feb. 12, 2005. I attended that rededication.
So, given Amtrak is mentioned here, why would the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, which is in the business of providing a passenger train service, also be involved in station construction and restoration activities?
A possible reason? For starters, how about doing such in the name and with the aim of trying to provide patrons with a quality experience all around? What would make sense to me is that this is about the passenger-train service provider being the best that it can be.
Another reason that I can think of has to do with the notion of the metropolitan-based train station being the city focal point or centerpiece in many an instance and stations brought up to states of good repair could serve as catalysts to inspire and advance further improvement in infrastructure and the like located around the stations themselves.
Take just one example: renovation work which is underway at Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. And the type of work being performed?
There is this from an Apr. 24, 2025 Amtrak news release: “Amtrak continues progress on the large-scale restoration and renovation project to enhance the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station and recently hosted a tour for media. This work will preserve this iconic Philadelphia landmark for future generations while transforming Market Street Plaza, expanding retail offerings, improving functionality, and enhancing the customer experience for Amtrak, SEPTA, and NJ TRANSIT passengers.”
“Amtrak has partnered with Plenary Infrastructure Philadelphia (PIP) as the master developer, whose responsibility is to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the station improvements as part of a public-private partnership (P3) agreement. The project has an estimated capital construction value of $550 million with major elements of the station restoration and renovation to include:
• modernizing and expanding station food & beverage and retail offerings
• improving station operations and enhancing the customer experience
• upgrading The Porch landscaping and community amenities
• modernizing Amtrak corporate offices
• enhancing building infrastructure to achieve and maintain a state of good repair”
Amtrak Senior Public Relations Manager Marc Magliari, meanwhile, in an email* wrote:
We have been making major investments in preserving and improving the few stations we own and in others across the system. While there have been some new station builds, most of this work has been done at historic and landmarked buildings.
Here in Chicago, Amtrak has invested $70 million in the last nine years in our historic Headhouse building. In D.C., we bought out other interests and now can control the redevelopment of Washington Union Station.
We partnered with the State of New York to develop the Moynihan Train Hall to improve the New York Penn Station service and have other projects in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston.
We have successfully developed a federal funding stream to improve accessibility at stations across the network. We have invested more than $900 million since 2011 in accessibility upgrades and improvement projects at 127 stations across the national network to ensure a safe, efficient, and comfortable travel experience for customers with disabilities. With 10 stations brought into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act in Fiscal Year 2024, another 41 stations are targeted for completion in Fiscal Year 2025 at a forecasted investment of $235 million.
“…[O]ur work has continued in helping communities seek funding for station preservation and improvements while providing in-kind and technical support,” the Senior Public Relations Manager continued.
Moreover, there is also repair and upgrade work going on at Amtrak’s Lancaster Station, also in Pennsylvania.
In a news release dated May 14, 2025, Amtrak emphasized:
Lancaster Station opened in 1929 and today it is served by Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian trains, which are financed primarily through funds made available by PennDOT.
Lancaster is the 25th busiest station in the Amtrak system and Amtrak’s second busiest in the Keystone State, where in FY24, served were 464,190 passengers in all, a 22 percent improvement from the year prior.
The type of work in progress, meanwhile, includes:
• replacing existing platforms and foundations
• rehabilitating platform canopies
• insulating the pedestrian overpass
• resurfacing floors
• replacing windows with historically accurate fenestrations
• rehabilitating the historic baggage lift enclosure
• repairing station windows and replacing door closers
• replacing HVAC mechanical equipment
“The south platform reconstruction was completed and returned to service in November 2024. The reconstruction of the north platform is ongoing, including the demolition of the existing structure and installation of foundations for the new platform. The new north platform is anticipated to return to service in January 2026, while all state of good repair work to the existing pedestrian overpass and station building will be complete by March 2026.”
For more information on The Great American Stations, see: greatamericanstations.com
Notes
All About Trains, “Preservation: We’re Much The Better For Having It,” Nov. 14, 2024. https://allabouttrains.substack.com/p/preservation-were-much-the-better
Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, 1991 Edition, p. 21
* Personal communication, Jun. 26, 2025
Updated: Jul. 1, 2025 at 1:55 p.m. PDT.
All material copyrighted 2025, Alan Kandel. All Rights Reserved.