Los Angeles Union Station (LAUS), better known as its original name, Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (or LAUPT), is perhaps the best-recognized railroad station of the western U.S. When built LAUPT (as it was then known) hosted some of the West’s most prominent passenger trains. Unfortunately, the terminal was built during the waning days of rail travel in this country as the public began to find other means to serve their transportation needs. As passenger trains began to fall from grace significantly in the 1950s the station’s importance dwindled but its fate has been far better than several others of its kind across the country. Despite its late construction the station has been in continual use since it opened and is ready to handle the resurgence of passenger rail in the 21st century. Los Angeles Union Station is the last of our great railroad stations designed in California’s traditional mission-style architecture and completed at a cost of $11 million in 1939, having been financed by the Union Pacific, Santa Fe, and Southern Pacific railroads. The history of what would become the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal dates back to 1926 when city gave residents the option of voting for a new train station or build an "L", also known as an elevated railroad. Interestingly, the railroads serving the city (each at the time using their own passenger terminals) had little say initially in the union station idea. In any event, residents narrowly passed the measure to construct a new terminal and despite some controversy the new station greatly improved traffic flow by allowing both trains and passengers to meet at one location.

Reviews

    No reviews