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Spartanburg station

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Coordinates: 34°57′13″N 81°56′15″W / 34.9535°N 81.9375°W / 34.9535; -81.9375
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Spartanburg, SC
General information
Location290 Magnolia Street
Spartanburg, South Carolina
United States
Coordinates34°57′13″N 81°56′15″W / 34.9535°N 81.9375°W / 34.9535; -81.9375
Owned byCity of Spartanburg
Line(s)Charlotte District
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Parking50 spaces; free
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusUnstaffed
Station codeAmtrak: SPB
History
Opened1904
Original companySouthern Railway
Passengers
FY 20233,548[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Greenville
toward New Orleans
 Crescent Gastonia
toward New York
Former services
Preceding station Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Following station
Terminus Charleston and Western Carolina Railway
Main Line
 Roebuck
toward Port Royal
Preceding station Southern Railway Following station
Hayne
toward Birmingham
 Main Line Converse
toward Washington, D.C.

Spartanburg station is an Amtrak train station in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. It is located at 290 Magnolia Street, within walking distance of Wofford College, the Spartanburg County government administration building and the Donald S. Russell Federal Building, which includes the federal courthouse for the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.

History

1910s Spartanburg Union Station

Opened in 1904, the Spartanburg Union Depot (also referred to as Union Station) was built by Southern Railway and also served the Clinchfield Railroad and the Charleston & Western Carolina Railway. Nicknamed "Hub City," the two-story station had one side platform and two island platforms operating on five tracks. The building included waiting areas, baggage facilities, and offices. A few years later, the station was expanded to include a three-story tower in the center. In 1915, a separate building, located west adjacent to station, was built for the Southern Express Company (packaging services).[2][3]

By 1940, the three-story tower had been removed from the station. Over the next three decades, the station was gradually scaled down as passenger rail service dropped. In 1973, the main station was razed while the former Southeastern Express building was converted into the current station. In 1996, the station was damaged by fire; however, instead of being demolished it was restored thanks to a 16-year-old who launched a crusade to save the station through letters, editorials and meetings with local politicians.[4][5][6]

In mid-twentieth century the station was a hub for passenger eservices in different directions. In addition to serving the New Orleans-Washington-New York City corridor with six departures a day to Atlanta, the station hosted two trains a day on the Asheville to Columbia line with the (including the South Carolina section of the Carolina Special ran from Cincinnati to Knoxville, Asheville, Spartanburg, Columbia and finally to Charleston). The Skyland Special ran from Asheville to Jacksonville, Florida, having a cessation from 1942 to 1947, owing to World War II.[7][8] The Skyland Special was discontinued in 1958.

Into the mid 1960s, the station continued to be rather busy. The Southern Railway continued to run several New York City to Atlanta trains, of which a few such as the Crescent continued to Birmingham and New Orleans. The Southern Railway lost the Carolina Special in 1968.

Services

The station, operated by Amtrak, provides inter-city rail service via the Crescent. The facility is open nightly at 11:00pm-6:00am, which includes the waiting area. No ticket sales office nor baggage services are available at this station.[9]

Hub City Railroad Museum

Located inside the depot building, the museum showcases Spartanburg's railroads and two major industries, textiles and peaches. Open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, it is operated by the Greenville Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of South Carolina" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  2. ^ Spartanburg, South Carolina, June 1908 (Map). New York, NY: Sanborn Map Company. June 1908. p. 13. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  3. ^ Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1923 (Map). New York, NY: Sanborn Map Company. 1923. p. 3. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  4. ^ Willis, Jeffrey (1999). Spartanburg, South Carolina. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0738502946.
  5. ^ "Spartanburg Union Station - Spartanburg, South Carolina". Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  6. ^ "Spartanburg, SC (SPB) - Great American Stations". Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  7. ^ "Southern Railway System, Tables 1, 34". Official Guide of the Railways. 78 (12). National Railway Publication Company. May 1946.
  8. ^ "Southern Railway schedule" (PDF). 1952. p. 8, Table Q; p. 17, Tables 5, 5A.
  9. ^ "Spartanburg, South Carolina Train Station (SPB) - Amtrak". Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  10. ^ "Hub City Railroad Museum". Retrieved May 10, 2018.

Media related to Union Station (Spartanburg, South Carolina) at Wikimedia Commons

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