Union Station

Portland's Union Station, at the north end of the Pearl District, is the Amtrak hub for the Pacific Northwest. Trains on the Coast Starlight (Portland–Los Angeles), Empire Builder (Portland–Chicago), and Cascades (Portland–Seattle–Vancouver and Portland–Eugene) all depart from here. The building is an active, functioning station — not a museum — and the interior can be accessed by anyone.

The exterior of the station, particularly the brick clock tower seen from the approach on NW 6th Avenue, is one of the more handsome civic buildings in the city. The waiting room retains its 1896 character: a generous space, woodwork, and a practical calm. It's a natural stop on a walk through the Pearl District. Trains run daily on all three Amtrak routes.

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Union Station opened in 1896 and is one of the oldest operating railroad stations in the western United States. The clock tower and the GO BY TRAIN neon sign are Portland landmarks. The station was designed in the Romanesque Revival style by Van Brunt & Howe; the interior waiting room retains much of its original character, with the original wooden benches, high ceilings, and the large arched windows that face the train platforms.

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