Burlington station (Iowa)

Burlington
Burlington station in June 2014.
Location	300 South Main Street Burlington, IA 52601
Owned by	BNSF Railway
Line(s)	California Zephyr
Platforms	1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks	3
Connections	Burlington Urban Service (B.U.S.)
Other information
Station code	BRL
History
Opened	1947
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	9,329[1]  5.9% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Mount Pleasant, IA toward Emeryville California Zephyr Galesburg toward Chicago   Former services   Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad West Burlington toward Denver Main Line Gladstone toward Chicago Union Station Terminus Burlington – Quincy Carman toward Quincy Burlington – St. Louis Wever toward St. Louis Rock Island Line Sperry toward Minneapolis Minneapolis – Burlington, IA Terminus
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	300 S Main Street, Burlington, Iowa
Coordinates	40°48′20″N 91°6′6″W / 40.80556°N 91.10167°WCoordinates: 40°48′20″N 91°6′6″W / 40.80556°N 91.10167°W
Area	2.9 acres (1.2 ha)
Built	1944
Architectural style	Moderne
NRHP Reference #	01001540[2]
Added to NRHP	February 4, 2002

Burlington station is a train station in Burlington, Iowa, United States, served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. The station, located at 300 South Main Street, is open 24 hours a day, but there are no Amtrak personnel or ticket machines at the station at any time: tickets must be purchased in advance or on the train from a conductor. The station acts as transfer hub for Burlington Urban Service (B.U.S.), a local municipal bus system; riders can transfer to every bus route in the B.U.S. system.^[3]

Designed by the well-known Chicago-based architectural firm of Holabird and Root for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q), the station was built in 1944 and exemplifies the streamlined mid-century modern aesthetic that came into vogue in the 1930s. The two-story station, constructed of reinforced concrete, is faced in buff-colored Wisconsin Lannon fieldstone laid in a random ashlar pattern.^[4] Areas for train and bus passengers were located on the lower level while the upper story contained offices for the general superintendent, freight agent, division engineer and telephone and telegraph operators. There was also space for trainmen to sleep and relax between shifts.^[5]

The two-story waiting room features walls clad in a buff Montana travertine; durable terrazzo floors; and black marble accents and trim. On one wall of the waiting room, the CB&Q inscribed many of the major achievements that it had accomplished in its namesake city, such as the testing of inventor George Westinghouse's air brakes in 1887.^[6]

The California Zephyr at Burlington in 1995.

Following a flood in the summer of 1993, the city purchased the building from the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1994 and undertook a series of renovations including roof repairs and the installation of new windows. A “Friends of the Depot” group also formed to help the city maintain the structure and encourage ideas for its adaptive reuse. Using more than $1,000 donated by Amtrak, the Friends organized work days in 2011 and 2012 during which volunteers painted the depot’s exterior trim and caulked windows.^[7]

References

1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2015, State of Iowa" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
2. Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
3. http://www.burlingtoniowa.org/publicworks/bus.html
4. Great American Stations. Accessed April 7, 2013
5. Great American Stations. Accessed April 7, 2013.
6. Great American Stations. Accessed April 7, 2013.
7. Great American Stations. Accessed April 7, 2013.

External links

Media related to Burlington (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons

• Amtrak – Stations – Burlington, IA
• Burlington Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Amtrak Station)
• Burlington (BRL)--Great American Stations (Amtrak)