This video might have the distinction of being the most positive media attention the Senate of Canada has received in years.

As a resident of Ogden, thank you for calling us out for having a car museum in our non-functioning union station. It's hilariously sad

The best part about Toronto Union Station that you didn't mention was the fact that it was in the literal heart of downtown, literally everything is within walking distance from it, unlike say LA which sorta sits on the edge of the city's downtown.

I keep hearing rumors about restoration of Toronto-Chicago service. That would be nice. On another note, South Bend, Indiana's Union Station is still on a major rail line, but Norfolk Southern doesn't want it used for passenger rail service -- they even ripped out the concrete platforms and use the five tracks there to stage freight trains into the Elkhart yard. So Amtrak gets to use a "shed" a couple of miles to the west.

i’m willing to bet that St Paul Union Depot just missed the top ten mark, and i respect the data. it’s a rare survivor… closed in the 70’s but underwent a gorgeous restoration in 2010 and now serves amtrak and local rail again!

I fully expected Toronto's Union Union station to be #1... after getting snubbed on a certain list of urbanist sports stadiums I'm glad you've come to your senses ;)

As a Columbusite, I appreciate you finally highlighting how absolutely ridiculous it is that we have no passenger rail. It's been a long and hard battle, with many instances where we've been hopeful only for a plan to get shot down even with funding procured (looking at you, Kasich). Fingers crossed the new plan gets the go-ahead, but I won't hold my breath.

A couple other things that Toronto Union station has going for it are the new bus terminal, and it's connection to the PATH - an underground maze of tunnels that connects pretty much every major building downtown to Union Station. There's a good number of people who live in apartments connected to subway lines who can travel from home in the suburbs to any office tower downtown without going outside in the winter, all because of the PATH connection at Union.

As someone who took the train between Chicago and St Louis alot, the differences are jarring between these stations. And I have said for decades that St Louis should have kept their Union Station as a mixed use train station and not as a tourist trap.

As a Torontonian, I was sure you'd only mention US stations so I was very pleasantly surprised by #1 haha

The Raleigh Union Station (RUS) is the initial ambitious investment in Raleigh's transit future. It was built from the structure of a dilapidated warehouse in a since re-emerged warehouse district downtown. Phase 2 is breaking ground soon (you can see the site prep in the birdseye aerial in the video) and will include a a bus terminal (RUS Bus) and hundreds of new apartments in two towers. The train station was purpose built to support future regional rail service, and was a really good move by the city to push forward with this station.

Toronto Union also has the Union Pearson Express, a respectable airport rail link with 15m frequencies on a 25m journey to Pearson airport! When you consider UP + VIA + Amtrak + Ontario Northland + GO + TTC subway and streetcar and having a sizeable bus hub it's position on this list makes a lot of sense. I think it's the 2nd busiest station on the whole continent only behind NY Penn!

Another thing that Denver Union Station has going for it is it also has an underground bus tunnel/station with tons of busses going in and out to all over the region. I was just thinking of RTD ones but it also has Bustang and Greyhound.

Philadelphia’s 30th street station, not named Union, is iconic. It’s a little small and it should have a better connection to SEPTA’s regional rail, but it has great potential.

Union station is one of my favourites in Toronto architecture! Glad to see it as #1. However it's heartbreaking to see so many beautiful union stations demolished or used so poorly 😢

The "Go by Train" sign on the tower of Portland Union Station is chef's kiss. Something to clarify is that the Canadian senate is only there at Ottawa Union temporarily. The Centre Block (aka the main parliamentary complex) has been undergoing decade-long major rehabilitation work and so until the work is complete, the House of Commons temporarily moved to the West Block within Parliament Hill while the senate moved to the former Ottawa Union Station. Prior to that, the Station has been in limbo since 1966, when train service was moved to a modernist station in the city's eastern suburbs. Since then, it has been a government conference center, and there was a proposal for it to be the new Canadian Sports Hall of Fame Besides the long-distance trains serving Los Angeles Union Station, there are also many Amtrak Surfliner trains each day, as well as several bus connections with the San Joaquin trains. And for local service, besides the Metro Rail and Metrolink trains, quite a few bus lines stop at the Metro building just through the tunnel from Union Station. LA Union Station didn't open until May 1939. The city council of Los Angeles had desired since the 1910s to construct a Union station to replace the existing three terminal stations in Los Angeles: the Santa Fe's La Grande Station, the Southern Pacific's Central Station, and the Union Pacific's Salt Lake Station. Opposition by the railways led to a series of legal cases that were still not resolved by 1925, and a non-binding question was asked to voters which was passed. The station was designed by John and Donald Parkinson, a father and son team who also worked on Los Angeles City Hall, Ogden Union Station, Pomona station, and the LA Memorial Coliseum!

Note for pittsburghs union station, the bulding you showed is not used for rail, but is apartments. There is a seperate building that serves amtrak. That building has no right being on this list

I love that ours says GO BY TRAIN right up top. :)

Denver Union Station does anchor a very impressive expansion of Downtown, has a 22-bay underground, climate-controlled bus terminal, and the Ski Train. But it's all substance over style: in 2019, Denver's LRT and Commuter Rail combined got less ridership than San Diego's LRT alone, despite San Diego having a far crappier central station.

Also with Toronto Union its connected to the PATH so you can walk to a ton of downtown destinations without ever having to go to street level which is a godsend in the winter.

St Louis's Union Station is actually quite nice. To connect to Amtrak, you get off one stop later heading downtown and not at Union Station proper. Union Station itself is a mall but what's nice is the area around it like dense high-rise apartments, grocery stores, urban parks, a huge library, city hall, several theaters, a bunch of government buildings, all within walking distance or short bicycle trips with PROTECTED lanes! I’m very surprised there was no mention of Union Depot in St. Paul, MN (then again, it's a Union Depot not Union Station). It has a beautiful old building, including a restaurant, ticket office, small lounge and it’s often used for events. It has one Empire Builder in each direction every day as well as the addition of the Great River between it and Chicago, a light rail station on the METRO Green Line, and a bus terminal with both intercity and local buses. The headhouse was designed by architect Charles Sumner Frost, who designed many buildings for the Chicago and North Western, and also worked on the Navy Pier Auditorium.

Toronto Union Station also has the UP Express (Union-Pearson Express) to the airport, and a bus station with regional, intercity and international buses to Detroit and New York.

Sadly, Winnipeg does not have daily service... the Canadian only serves it 2x a week in each direction. It also gets 2x/week trains on the Winnipeg-Churchill train (formerly known as the Hudson Bay).

Thank you for mentioning Tacoma and Seattle Union Stations, even though they don't have service anymore. Beautiful spaces that I wish could still be used for their original design, but Seattle's Union Station is a possibility for a new Link Light Rail station in the future. Also, as a Pacific Northwesterner, I would be interested in a video about the 2017 derailment on the Point Defiance Bypass. Such a shame, but I would be interested in your take on it.

Toronto Union also has the UP Express or Union Pearson Express which operates every 15 minutes, seven days a week, as a 25-minute journey with stops at Bloor and Weston in between. Not to mention the PATH tunnels and long-distance buses to places like Detroit and NYC. And two things you didn't mention about Denver Union Station is how the RTD system has direct service to Denver International Airport from the station as well as the fact Amtrak runs a Winter Park Express/Ski Train during winter weekends, so skiers can skip the traffic! It drops passengers 100 yards from the ski lifts, closer than parking would! If it wasn't for Moffat's vision of connecting Denver to the west with Salt Lake City and tackling the Continental Divide with the Moffat Tunnel, it wouldn't have become the economic engine that it is today. Here's some Union Station facts to go along with the video: DC's Union Station was designed by Daniel Burnham. He was Director of Works for the 1892-93 World's Columbian Exposition, which was referred to as "The White City". He also worked on Chicago Union, Pittsburgh Union/Pennsylvania Station, the plans for Manila and Baguio when the Philippines were a part of the US, and he even worked on NYC's Flatiron Building and London's Selfridges department store! Cincinnati Union Terminal opened in 1933 and was designed by Alfred T. Fellheimer, who was the lead architect for GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL! He also worked on the Buffalo Central Terminal, Erie Union Station, Burlington Union Station, and what's now the Hamilton GO Centre.

I love to use the word "AmShack" when referring to Houston's Amtrak station

As someone who lives in the front range of Colorado and has been hearing about plans for a front range passenger rail for almost 30 years now I would love a dedicated video about that corridor and why no progress ever seems to happen.

Yay Toronto! Er, I mean… thanks! I should add that Union Station also has: - one end of the Union Pearson Express airport train to Pearson Airport, and - the city’s main bus terminal for regional, intercity, and international buses. In addition, one of the tram routes passes near the terminal of the downtown Island Airport (you just walk one block south past Little Norway Park). They dug down underneath it and tripled the size of the passenger concourses and built an additional level of shopping and restaurants, which is finally filling out and being populated. They are expanding these concourses to the south as well. The station has been under construction for about 15 years…

As a Denverite, I wouldn't rank DUS higher than LA Union Station. To quote a friend of mine, "At Denver Union Station, passengers are an afterthought." Signage is poor, at one point RTD passengers weren't even technically allowed to use the restrooms in the station (unless they bought something there), and there's inadequate personnel at the station to help passengers (e.g. information booth, Amtrak ticket counter). No ticket kiosks or maps in the building either, cause that might "ruin the ambiance" or something. Also it's unfortunate that years ago they removed the tracks immediately south of the station, which makes it more challenging to implement a new Front Range route stopping at the DUS platform. But hey, if you want to go to a trendy restaurant in a cool old building, then DUS is your spot!

Toronto Union Station is incredible! It's absolutely massive in size has full service restaurants, food courts and shopping. It has a direct line to Pearson International Airport, connects to the TTC subway network, GO Regional rail network and the TTC Street Car network as well as GO Bus network. It's connected to the Scotiabank Arena and the Toronto PATH underground city network. It's been undergoing a decades long muti-billion dollar renovation and modernization while still keeping many of the stunning historical aspects. I hope you have a chance to come see it in person one day soon!

Pittsburgh Union is so weird because they have a light rail stop but like it doesn’t show up on any of the route maps, even as a spur of the main services. It’s right by the busway, and they should really remake the busway into a light rail corridor

I am is 65 years old and I lived in the northern Virginia, DC area for pretty much 60 of those years. I’m ashamed to say that I had no idea, regardless of the number of times I’ve passed or been in that train station that it was officially named Alexandria Union Station

As a Torontonian I love how often my city tops the list. Some other fun facts about Union Station in Toronto, just to humbly brag: - Connects directly to the PATH network, a sprawling underground pedestrian network that connects to almost all of downtown (you don't even have to go outside!) which includes numerous hotels, shopping malls, and practically every office tower - Has an above-ground enclosed concourse that goes to the Sky Dome (NOT Roger's Center) sports venue and CN Tower, among other tourist destinations - Has direct buses to individual district hubs in the city - Has a shopping concourse that almost rivals Grand Central in NYC - Has a direct one-stop train line (the UP Express) to Pearson Airport - NO above-ground parking. So you are walking distance from anything you'd want when downtown

One you missed is New Orleans, which is a terminus for three long-distance Amtrak trains, and there is also a streetcar stop out front. It's a 1950s vintage building, so it's nothing to look at, but there are some nice murals inside. I continue to support an Amtrak Chicago-to-Florida train, which if it happens would put Nashville back on your list.

i take the DC union station almost every day and love it! such cool architecture with tons of shops and places to eat inside. could definitely use another metro line connection tho

Toronto Union Station also has the Union Pearson Express which makes getting from the airport to the middle of Toronto easy. Also, a huge food court, connections to the Toronto Path system and just beautiful architecture inside and out.

Thanks for shouting out Columbus! I was hoping you would. I did a project on it during my masters at osu. The fact that the freeway cuts right through where rail used to be is such an insult to injury

The thing that drives me UP THE WALL about Pittsburgh's Union Station is that it's a gorgeous building... that you don't go in. The building with the breathtaking rotunda has been luxury apartments for decades. Instead, next to the beautiful building, they built a shed under the train overpass. The waiting room has too few seats for the number of people boarding each train and you have to go up an escalator to get to the old train platform which is still in operation twice a day. Clownery.

Phoenix is only an urbanist dream if you're in an alternative universe. But in that universe, yes, we'd already have two through-connected regional rails, intercity lines to Tucson and possibly Yuma, a little larger light-rail line, and BRTs that steal space from cars on our broad straight stroads. I think the Amtrak station issue is a red herring; in-state lines are the greater need, and an economically viable Brightline might one day run a line to L.A.

10. Kansas City 2:35 9. Portland 2:57 8. Alexandria 3:30 7. Dallas 6:25 6. New Haven 7:16 5. Los Angeles 8:02 4. Denver 8:40 3. Washington, DC 13:12 2. Chicago 13:46 1. Toronto 14:37

Toronto Union belongs at the top of this list, what wasnt mentioned is the addional service via Ontario Northland Railway to north bay, cant wait for those new trainsets.

Any city that combines the facilities of the train service they still have, with that of intercity bus, and local public transit, deserves credit in these times. It's a tremendous help to travelers.

Another entry for the “No Longer a Train Station” list: Cleveland Union Terminal. It’s still served by local metro as the Tower City stop, but regional rail has been discontinued, and the one intercity train has been rerouted to a sad looking station built in the 70’s closer to the mainline, where the Lake Shore Limited passes through in the predawn hours. The Union Terminal concourse has been converted into a mall, Tower City Center, that’s been struggling post COVID; the platforms and sidings, other than those still used by the RTA, have been converted to underground parking for the mall.

From an architecture standpoint, I'm a big fan of Union Station in Worcester, MA. I've taken trains from there west into upstate NY and it's quite nice.

It's nice to see Denver mentioned on this channel, we rarely get any attention, good or bad.

I feel like this was a missed opportunity to use fun footage of the underground streetcar loop at Toronto Union! It LOOPS UNDERGROUND

It’s worth noting that beautiful building in Pittsburgh is now apartments and not where you wait for the trains anymore. The current waiting area leaves a lot to be desired.

It's fair to consider Ogilvie Transportation Center and Union Station as a single hub. Unions north bound platforms are across the street from Ogilvie. A connection can be made in 10 minutes but 15 minutes is more comfortable

A car museum in a train station...incredible logic, Ogden! That's just as bad as the fact that the Museum of Bus Transportation in Hershey, Pennsylvania...doesn't even have a bus stop! That aside, here's some New Haven lore: The current building is the third such station in the city of New Haven, preceded by both an 1848 station in a different location, and an 1879 station near the current station's location. Designed by Cass Gilbert (who also worked on the state capitols of Arkansas, West Virginia, and Minnesota), the present beaux-arts Union Station was completed in 1920 after the previous Union Station (once near the site of the current Union Station parking garage) was destroyed by fire. The New Haven Railroad who once owned it went bankrupt in 1961, and the station was transferred to Penn Central in 1969 before they too went bankrupt the next year! It closed in 1973 and was almost demolished before the Northeast Corridor Improvement project saved it in 1979. After extensive renovations, it reopened in 1985. You can take the shortest Amtrak journey in the country from New Haven Union...to New Haven State Street. Two-minute journey and it's free! New Haven-style pizza is locally known as apizza. It originated in 1925 at the Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and is now served in many other pizza restaurants in the area like Sally's Apizza and Modern Apizza.

For what it's worth, STL's repurposed Union Station does have an adjacent light rail station. You missed the beautifully restored Meridian (Mississippi) Union Station, now (rather optimistically) called the Meridian Multi-Modal Transportation Center. It doesn't boast much Amtrak frequency, but (like many other train stations and depots) it has served as the centerpiece of revitalization efforts in its area. It's also quite photogenic. I'll be attending Brownfields 2023 in Detroit next month and detouring enroute to photograph a LOT of current and former train stations, including several that you featured.

I grew up staying at the Royal York Hotel when in Toronto, so have tons of experience in Union Station. I used to walk from the hotel to the video arcades in Union via underground passageways (actually, can do a LOT of underground walking from block to block throughout downtown; chalk it up to fine winter-based urban planning). Would have been shocked to see this station anyplace other than #1.

STL union station really is a shell of what it was and the Amtrak station downtown is kinda sketch. The Kirkwood Amtrak station is way cuter than the STL station AND it gets Lincoln Service & MO River Runner coming through it. Plus it’s kept open mainly by volunteers since the city bought it from Amtrak. Not a union station but I think still worth mentioning 😊

L.A. Union Station is also a start/end point for the L line which rakes you to Pasadena, also the point to get the Fly Away bus to LAX, and other LA bus lines. Want a good view of the station and the old original ticket counter, watch the first 4 or 5 minutes of Social Distortions Maxhine Gun Blues, and the extended version of Princes Cream. Finished in 1939 it was the last purpose built station in the USA. Art Nouveau to boot and close to Olvera Street, and Original Philippe’s.

I'm split on the now former Ottawa Union Station. On the one hand it's a beautiful building in the heart of the city, it's next to the Rideau Centre and Chateau Laurier, and I wish trains still went downtown along the canal and over the Alexandra Bridge into Gatineau. On the other hand I kinda love the way the canal is today with walking/cycling paths alongside it. Oh well, at least they didn't tear it down.

I'm surprised that St Paul Union Station was not mentioned. It's definitely not a top 10, but Amtrak runs through it (I took it down to Wisconsin recently) and it connects to the Green Line Light Rail and I think there are bus stops near by as well. It definitely could do better but thought I would see it. The top 10 look pretty solid though! I know this list would look different if Penn or Grand were Union Stations. Or if the Boston stations were Union stations.

I’d like to make the argument that Denver is top 3. There’s actually 3 more light rail lines and a regional rail line for a total of 7 at the northeast portion of the station and 11 bus lines in an underground bus terminal underneath the rail station. There’s several parks plazas surrounding the main building and the station itself extends several blocks in lower downtown. It’s very nice

Have taken trains both to and from your #1 and #2 stations and agree with ranking those on top. Might have ranked LA’s a little higher because I really liked it.

The LA Union Station can totally be #3 or #4 if we can increase Metrolink/Metro frequencies!

toronto union station is also the central hub for ontario's regional bus system which isn't as bad as it sounds, depending on what city you're going to it can be faster than taking the train outside of rush hour. also i've been watching this channel for about a year now and i didn't realize until today that i wasn't subscribed because every video shows up in my recommended anyways.

When you explained your criteria, I thought Toronto would measure up well. I was surprised, however, when you placed it at the top of the heap.

Those train frequencies... We live in a village in Italy with 10k inhabitants and we get a regional train once per hour. Twice during rush hour. And Italy is still pretty car centric once you leave the town centres.

I am from KC, just recently rode the Southwest Chief for the second time in my life and Missouri River Runner for the first, probably because of you and @notjustbikes channels. Going to take MO River Runner to St Louis two more times this year with the family.

7:34 the Metro-North New Haven line actually terminates at State Street station, which is just north of New Haven Union station. It stops in both however

One of the only knocks I've heard on Toronto's Union, is that it's constantly under construction. But given the sad state and destruction of so many other stations, I'm so grateful to live in a city that's actively investing in our transit and no where near finished. I wish things would move faster, but compared to other cities in North America, I'm so happy to live somewhere where I'm not forced to own a car.. I much prefer a savings account. That said, I'm 30 and a homeowner, but for those my age unlucky enough to go to university, it's sad to see they missed the time of attainable housing and are stuck renting over-priced apartments. Hopefully Mayor Chow will save us! 😄

This man makes my week bearable to go through. 😁

As a native of DC, I was ALSO saddened that we weren't Number 1. However, I can see how Toronto wins. Chicago? It's close, but I'll concede. Fair play.

I love KC Union Station, I grew up not too far from it. It is definitely more an attraction than train station as the Amtrak hub is a little sad haha. Went the River Runner a lot on college, I would love for them to expand service ! Glad KC is getting some love!

I was definitely surprised when moving to Seattle a few years ago that we have a Union Station… but with no trains. I’m bummed that Sound Transit seems to be barely considering using Union Station as part of future light rail alignments. It’s in such a perfect location.

I didn’t expect Winnipeg Union Station to make it into the honourable mentions but I’ll take it.👍🏽

Always love it when a video opens with a shot of Denver

I knew Toronto was gonna come in at #1. You can get some pretty good beef patties there. And it's actually connected to Scotiabank Arena, where the Raptors and Leafs play. You can go from the train to the game without ever walking outside.

My hometown Union Station at #4! I love that station very much. The look of the Cincinnati one made me chuckle. "Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice..." 😂

You missed some fun intercity(ish) services out of Denver Union Station(ish). There's the Winter Park Express, which runs one round trip Fri-Sun during the winter. Its not exactly intercity because most riders do the round trip in a single day for skiing, but it is run by Amtrak and does connect to a city outside of Denver's urban area. Then there's the Rocky Mountaineer, a private sightseeing train to Moab that runs twice weekly during the spring through early fall. But despite the check-in for this service being at Union Station (really across the street), the train boards at a siding near a different regional rail station and guests ride a coach bus from Union to get there.

Union Station in DC has so much potential. For intercity rail to Philly/NYC/Baltimore its hard to beat the Acela and NEC in the US (low bar but still its unquestionably the best intercity rail line in the US). Heck, even to Boston if you really hate driving and driving. MARC and VRE are both legit commuter rail systems. Rail connection to Richmond has a lot of potential. It's hard to knock the metro connection and the streetcar line would be amazing if they ever continue it across town to Georgetown through K st. MARC to Baltimore is solid. They are proposing a 2nd Metro line through Union Station going East-West mostly through DC

Woohoo! I think this is the first time my city ranked #1 on one of your videos! Union Station also links to the UP Express - which is a relatively-new train service that goes from Union Station to Pearson International Airport. It also makes two stops along the way, which has been really helpful to people living in the Northwestern part of Toronto.

I take the Pennsylvanian from Pgh to NYC regularly and it’s so great. I love taking the trains so much 😭

New Haven! It is about time we got some love on here.Also, the underground tunnels to the tracks at new Haven are amazing. They look like a set from Logan's Run.

I’m surprised that Union Station in Worcester, MA only got an honorable mention, since the city is the second largest in New England (quite a bit bigger than Hartford or New Haven). This station was derelict for many decades until it was refurbished and reopened in the early 2000s as the western terminus of the state’s MBTA commuter rail, as well as an Amtrak connection to upstate New York. The building’s large concourse is also used as an upscale restaurant and conference center.

Kansas City Union Station is a rare W for the city. In the 90’s it was almost demolished entirely as the interior was neglected with the roof falling and the floor flooded. Amtrak operated from a shed a block away, so there was zero reason to use it. Luckily it was given funding and reopened with its Amtrak terminal inside after almost a decade of work along with weird tourist bits similar to the St. Louis union station. Only one terminal, and the tourist bits are on the west side, so it doesn’t fill up all that much unfortunately, but it’s never empty either.

Can you make a video about the outrage of the destruction of New York's Pennsylvania Station in 1963? I was only two when this happened, but thinking about it almost brings me to tears.

Winnipeg gets 2 different lines. The Canadian that passes through twice a week each direction. And the Churchill line that goes one a week up to Churchill Manitoba. The inside of the station is spectacular though.

You might have mentioned that the Canadian Senate uses the Ottawa Union Station only while the actual Senate Chamber on Parliament Hill is being renovated.

Weird to see my hometown mentioned in one of your videos. Pueblo Union Depot is a great building with a lot of potential. There’s a train station being proposed right next to it with the idea of attracting Amtrak service as well as Front Range Passenger Rail. Can’t decide if it’s a missed opportunity or a necessity.

Proud Denver Union station made it as far on the list! It's beautiful, functional, and is basically Denver's living room

The saddest Union Station I've been to is the one in Buffalo, NY. It has been abandoned for 70+ years (pretty much since the street car lines were removed) and is completely bypassed by all rail traffic in the area. Some local activists have petitioned to have the Amtrack line moved there, but that hasn't gained enough steam.

Houston just recently approved another major freeway expansion. I know NJB made a Houston video, but would love to see a good ol' fashioned City Nerd dunking on Houston. As a resident here, it is frustrating getting around by just a car 99% of the time and I feel legitimately terrified here most of the time.

The transit authorities that have turned the rail yard into a parking lot and the public station into their own private office space should all be fired and anyone who has retired should have their pension revoked. Imagine getting paid to take over management of the transit system for a region and then just systematically dismantling it. It would be like taking over management of a hospital and replacing all the equipment and staff with some vending machines out front where you can buy some band-aids.

I wonder where Cleveland's Tower City Center would have placed? It's not named as a union station specifically, but was previously known as a Union Terminal. It is certainly the tallest station.

3:14 I'm on Flickr (yes, it's still alive), and one of the most prolific North American bus photographers was a guy I used to follow, Zack Willhoite aka busdude. He was one of the three victims on that was on that first Cascades Bypass run. So it was strange that one day, he was uploading, and the next, it completely stopped. :(

As someone who has passed through Portland's Union Station on multiple occasions the past year, I have to say that it serves its purpose quite well when it comes to rail & has an excellent coffee shop/cafe inside. The only thing that it lacks (though this has to do more with Greyhound & FlixBus) is adequate access to buses, specifically buses from those two operators as local TriMet buses frequently pass by the station. Oftentimes Greyhound & FlixBus advertise that they are departing from Union Station when in reality the bus is actually departing from a location that is 1 or 2 blocks away which makes it confusing if you are trying to catch a bus from those operators.

Things are looking up for Raleigh Union Station. They're building a new bus terminal connected by a pedway to the station, and are looking to build a new platform for HSR to Richmond. And there's also a proposal to start another intercity line from Raleigh to Fayetteville. Plus the service to Charlotte is more popular than ever.

Indianapolis Union Station has to be on the forgettable list. To be fair since the daily train from Indy to Chicago has been discontinued, not much there anymore except for the Greyhound and the grand hall for weddings, events, etc.

To add to Winnipeg's honourable mention- It was designed by the same architecture firm that did NYCs Grand Central Station, so it is actually quite nice from that perspective. It is also directly adjacent to The Forks which is a central city park/market/gathering place (both of which have been given National Historic Site designations). While Union Station doesn't have much traffic right now, there are plans to use it as a Bus Rapid Transit hub in the future once the network has expanded. Winnipeg's current bus and cycle networks could use some improvement but I'm glad to see things hopefully trending in the right direction, albeit slowly.

I'm seeing all these "yay Toronto!" comments, but as a resident in the city, I think it speaks more to how bad urban/public transit is in North America than actual praise of the system (though seeing lower ranks with "one daily intercity train" was pretty damning as is). Effectively, the list was topped with "It's fine, I guess" and it's terrible that that's good enough. Would it even place on a fully-international list of union-equivalents? I doubt it.

The Dallas Union Station interior is kind of sad. You get off the TRE, and walk inside the building, and it's just a giant empty space with an Amtrak ticket window. I wish there was some retail or maybe food options inside there--there's definitely enough space.

As someone not from the USA it's bizarre how infrequent the trains to these stations are

Yes, Please do a video on that Cascades derailment!

Kansas City's Union Station is less of a hub for transport anymore, but is almost always busy due to the consistent traveling exhibits, an IMAX theater, and Science City. It's a great place to spend a day.

Thanks for mentioning Ottawa. We very much enjoy your videos and plethora of knowledge and information. Great channel.

One interesting case: Gare du Palais in Québec city (Canada). 46.817687399847834, -71.21390954162274 technically built by Canadian Pacific and thus doesn't qualify as "Union" but CP invted other railways to use it. The grandiose station was closed in 1976, a highway was built, and tracks through the touristy downtown were removed. But it re-opened in 1985 after not only renovations, but also new tracks behind the city to reach the station. By that timel it was VIA rail that was sole user, but later, a complex was built and included the new bus terminal. As there isn't much left of intercity rail in Canada, the station doesn't have much trafrfic but does have plenty of bus traffic in the intercity bus terminal. But back in the days, Gare du Palais had service to many destinations. There was also the Gare de Lévis which was a CN station on the south shore at the ferry terminal which was used for trains to the maritimes (saving the detour and need to turn train around at the "terminus" Gare du Palais). The complex has offices, the train station and the bus station and there is a highway underneath.