Last Station Built New Before Amtrak?

Reading about the impending demolition of Buffalo's 1952 NYC built station at Exchange Street led me to think once again about the facilities that the railroads built in the post war era. I can recall one in Iowa built by ATSF and some stations built by Southern to replace former terminals.

The following two questions come to mind as a result ...

What was the last station built new by a railroad prior to Amtrak?

and ...

What was the newest station retained in the Amtrak system on A-Day?

Should be interesting to see if these locations are in service on Amtrak today (or where at any point in the past).

I'd guess a Northeast state-funded commuter railroad station that Amtrak also served, but, if not, perhaps the 1964-ish Charlotte, NC one? Amtrak didn't serve it until 1979, though.

The SR stations definitely came to mind. And as you note they weren't served by Amtrak on A-Day.

New York Central built a new small station in East Syracuse around 1964 to replace their downtown station. That was torn down when the present Amtrak station was built over by the mall.

Was it ever served by Amtrak?

gokeefe wrote: ↑Sun Aug 18, 2019 4:25 pm The SR stations definitely came to mind. And as you note they weren't served by Amtrak on A-Day.

Was thinking New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal, not strictly a Southern Railway station but heavily funded by them. It may be the newest major station pre-Amtrak (excluding the New York Pennsylvania Station butchery) with a 1954 build date.

I thought about New Orleans as well. Very surprising to see a major terminal being built at that time.

I think I've found the winner: New Carrollton, which originally opened as Capital Beltway on March 16, 1970. Notable that the current platform was built to replace the original Capital Beltway station when Metro came in.

For whatever reason I had it in my head that it was opened after Amtrak not before.

East Syracuse is interesting as it appears to be a precursor to the Amtrak Standard Stations. I saw the photos and thought Amtrak had built it sometime in the 80s.

gokeefe wrote: ↑Sun Aug 18, 2019 4:53 pm Was it ever served by Amtrak?

August 29, 1962 was the opening date. Amtrak did use it.

I may have posted too soon ... South Bend, IN was built by the Chicago & South Shore and opened in 1970. Anybody have a date?

July 7, 1970

I had forgotten about the South Shore station at South Bend.

BUT....

When that was built, Penn Central did NOT stop there! They stopped at the downtown South Bend station. Amtrak stopped downtown too, for quite some time.

So, my thinking the new Union Station in Milwaukee, which opened in 1968 as I recall, would be the last one built before Amtrak and Amtrak has
called there since day one.

SouthernRailway wrote: ↑Sun Aug 18, 2019 3:15 pmI'd guess a Northeast state-funded commuter railroad station that Amtrak also served

Metropark opened 11/11/71, but Beltway (a suburban station for Metroliners) came first.

Meriden, CT (PC, 1970). Unless Meriden was in Q1 1970, it would be after Beltway.

R36 Combine Coach wrote: ↑Sun Aug 18, 2019 6:44 pm

SouthernRailway wrote: ↑Sun Aug 18, 2019 3:15 pmI'd guess a Northeast state-funded commuter railroad station that Amtrak also served

Metropark opened 11/11/71, but Beltway (a suburban station for Metroliners) came first.

Meriden, CT (PC, 1970). Unless Meriden was in Q1 1970, it would be after Beltway.

Construction of Meriden station didn't start till really late in 1970. The old depot was bought in November 1970 before construction started. Struggling to find an opening date.

My guess, which has already been proven wrong, would have been the first Albany-Rensselaer train station built in 1968, by the New York Central (I think it was completed before Penn Central came into being).

But this replaced the Albany Union station and moved things across the river to where now there is a great, modern, 4-track high platform station.

Interesting that Meriden has already been demolished. Quite likely the only example of a staffed station built so late in the legacy era. It also added to the chain of architectural links leading to the Standard Stations. It's very easy to see how Amtrak arrived at the design from these immediate predecessor examples. It's also notable to me how awful the cinder block mid 60s stations (for example South Bend) were. Designs were already improving throughout the 70s. The rock bottom was actually five to ten years prior to that.