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Denver Union Station Developments

Union Station open for business

Big things happened in Denver. RTD's new Union Station Transit Center opened May 9, 2014 as the centerpiece of a bustling downtown, offering more transportation services, connections, and access than ever before. Bus service at Union Station actually began on May 11. See details below.

Union Station Transit Center features a spacious new 22-bay underground bus concourse, light rail, free downtown bus service, Amtrak, and (soon) commuter rail-all in one convenient location. Nearby retail, residences, and parks complete the transformation.

Bus service at Union Station started in spring 2014

The bus station at Market Street closed and bus service at the new Union Station bus concourse began the morning of Sunday, May 11. While the grand opening celebration took place two days earlier, public bus service started after the celebration was over.

Amtrak moves back into Denver Union Station

After being temporarily relocated during construction at Denver Union Station, Amtrak moved all passenger services and ticketing back to Union Station at 1701 Wynkoop St. on February 28, 2014.

See a video of the California Zephyr's return to Union Station here.

Amtrak returned to Union Station after serving Denver passengers at a temporary location on 21st and Wewatta Streets since 2011 due to redevelopment of the historic building, new commuter rail station and underground bus concourse. Follow this link for all of the details.

Photos: Union Station's transformation

The Union Station bus concourse construction is in its very final stages, including the installation of way finding signs, and RTD is currently working with the contractor on an extensive inspection process.

On Friday, May 9, members of the public can join us to celebrate this first of some major milestones set for Denver's new multimodal hub. Stay tuned for more opening event information and check out the photo gallery to see how the bus concourse and the other transit improvements came to life over the last five years.

Crawford Hotel at Denver Union Station unveiled

The Crawford Hotel at Denver's Union Station is the name of the new 112-room hotel that's being built inside the historic building.

RTD and its partners are turning Union Station into an extensive transportation hub that will feature locally owned restaurants, shops and the Crawford Hotel.

Sage Hospitality announced the name of the hotel Nov. 13, 2013. It honors the preservation work of Dana Crawford. She is known for her work as a pioneer of redevelopment in Colorado.

The Crawford Hotel will occupy the upper floors of the north and south wings of Union Station. It promises to reflect the history of the train station and provide modern luxury when it opens in Summer 2014.

RTD opens its new underground bus complex at Union Station May 9, 2014.

Train Hall Canopy at night

For the first time ever, the Union Station train hall canopy has been lit up (photographed from the 17th Street Promenade at Chestnut Pl. looking east).


The massive steel structure is fully installed and light testing started in early November. Amtrak is scheduled to start operations under the canopy in February 2014 and RTD's commuter rail lines, including the line to Denver International Airport, are scheduled to start operations in 2016.

Thank you to RTD's very own Joe Christie, deputy project manager of construction for the Union Station project, for capturing the night time beauty of the canopy and historic building.

Testing Shows Progress at Denver Union Station

Kiewit, the contractor for the Denver Union Station project, tested the public announcement and alarm system for the commuter rail train hall this weekend. It's all a sign of significant progress and a part of the commissioning process at Denver Union Station. Lights will be tested and turned on in the next few weeks.

Getting to the Trains

The commuter rail train hall canopy behind Union Station is complete and
the platforms to access the trains are almost done, but how will
passengers access this when the trains come in 2016?

There is a new pedestrian bridge that is accessible by four sets of stairs -- one from Wynkoop Street, one from the west side of the tracks, and two from the center of the pedestrian bridge that give access to the center platforms, including the Amtrak platform opening in February 2014. There are a total of five platforms in train hall.


Don't want to use the stairs? Each set will have an elevator next to it to give all passengers access to the transit system. In addition to the elevators and stairs for access to the commuter rail platforms, there will be elevators, stairs and escalators going into the underground bus concourse which will begin services on May 11, 2014.

Wynkoop Plaza Work

The Wynkoop Plaza, currently under construction along with the renovation of the Union Station historic building, is being landscaped with Triumph Elms (closest to the building, in the photo) and Shademaster Honey Locust (closest to the road).


Both came from Colorado nurseries. The elms from Harmony Gardens of Fort Collins and the locust from Arbor Valley Nursery in Brighton.

Floor installation wraps up

The terrazzo flooring in the Union Station bus concourse is almost complete. Terrazzo is laid similarly to concrete and after a good buffing to get rid of lumps and bumps, shiny lacquer is applied to make it shine.

Floor colors keep pedestrian traffic moving

The floor inside the bus concourse is multicolored in large part because of psychology.


The white part of the flooring is right down the center of the concourse to encourage passengers to keep moving and don't stop. The darker colors (gray and black) are placed near the doorways and loading areas to signal that this area is where you can stop and congregate.

All the science of it aside, we think it adds a nice aesthetic feel and will really brighten up this underground facility!

Progress as seen from the top of a crane

It was high adventure as our Denver Union Station team climbed up to the top of a crane to give us a glimpse of progress at the historic site that is being transformed into the region's multimodal hub. The view is from 300 feet above the construction site.

See the video they shot and details of their adventure by following the link.

Union Station bus complex opening date set

RTD announced the opening date for the Denver Union Station Bus Complex as Friday, May 9, 2014.

The 22-bay underground bus station will replace RTD's current Market Street Station, which will close permanently when the Union Station Bus Complex opens.

"This is another example of how RTD continues to successfully manage mega projects, serve as a positive role model and lead the way for other transportation agencies across the nation," said Phil Washington, RTD General Manager. "The success of our projects takes a total team effort between RTD and its partners."

Opening activities will occur on Friday, May 9, and bus service at the new bus terminal will begin on Sunday, May 11. Read more

Baswaphon installation taking place

The scaffolding inside the Denver Union Station historic building main train hall is being used to install very high tech acoustical sound absorbing ceiling material called "Baswaphon."


The building is being remodeled into a boutique hotel with restaurants and retail space and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2014. Scroll down to learn more about the restaurants.

Next in Line: Denver Union Station

Now that the West Rail has opened, historic Denver Union Station is the next major FasTracks project in line that's scheduled for opening. It will be ready in 2014.
It's hard to describe the transformation that is taking place as anything but absolutely amazing.


The fabric on this train canopy is all "up in the air" and will be fully installed and complete by the middle of July! The fabric is Polytetrafluoroethylene, also known as PTFE. Well, most people may know it by its most famous brand name: Teflon, made by DuPont. It's similar to what you see that makes up the world famous "tents" on the terminal at Denver International Airport.

The material is quite strong. It can hold 30 pounds of snow per square foot and it can withstand wind speeds of 90mph. It also comes with a 10-year warranty.


Bus makes first entrance to underground facility
A bus made a test run into the gigantic Underground Regional Bus Facility at Denver Union Station for the first time. Follow the link to see more.


17th St. Gardens give light to underground bus facility
Denver Union Station's 17th Street Gardens features eight skylights that light up the inside of the underground bus facility. As part of RTD's commitment to sustainability, these skylights will reduce the amount of electrical output needed to light up the bus facility. More>>>


Photo Gallery: Transformation at Denver Union Station
See some great photos of what's happening with construction at Denver Union Station.




First restaurants announced for Denver Union Station
The first three restaurants for Denver Union Station were announced May 22, 2013. They are The Kitchen Next Door, Snooze - An A.M. Eatery and a new restaurant concept by award-winning chef Alex Seidel. All three Colorado-owned restaurants are scheduled to open inside the transformed transportation hub in July 2014.



Time Lapse Video: Construction at DUS
Progress at Denver Union Station happens right before your eyes in a unique video that was recently produced at the redeveloped urban transit center. The video was shot in January 2013, more than a year after construction started on the project.



More people are going to get a look at the work being done by the Denver Union Station Project Authority and RTD FasTracks once the West Rail line opens to the public April 26, 2013. DUS serves the new W line.