Birmingham station (Alabama)

Birmingham, AL
The Amtrak Crescent train at Birmingham station in February 2009
General information
Location	1819 Morris Avenue Birmingham, Alabama United States
Coordinates	33°30′44″N 86°48′26″W
Owned by	CSX Transportation
Line(s)	CSX Boyles Terminal Subdivision
Platforms	2 island platforms, 1 in use
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	More than 100 long term spaces in a nearby City of Birmingham lot
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: BHM
History
Opened	2017
Original company	Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Passengers
FY 2023	32,738 (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Tuscaloosa toward New Orleans Crescent Anniston toward New York
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Montgomery toward St. Petersburg or Miami Floridian Decatur toward Chicago Montgomery toward Mobile Gulf Breeze Terminus
Location

Birmingham station is a train station in Birmingham, Alabama. It is a service stop for Amtrak's Crescent, which provides daily service between New York City, Atlanta, and New Orleans. The current station is located on the site of another station originally built by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1960, although Amtrak did not use the building itself, which was torn down in the 2000s.

History

The L&N built the new station for $500,000, replacing Union Station which it had used since 1887. Union Station was also served by the Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast Railroad until the 1930s. One writer described this new station as "modern in every respect."

Passenger services in L&N years

Through the 1960s, these long distance Louisville & Nashville trains served the Birmingham station:

• Humming Bird (Cincinnati - New Orleans)
• Pan-American (Cincinnati - New Orleans)
• South Wind (Chicago - St. Petersburg and Miami)

Since 1971

When Amtrak assumed control of most inter-city passenger service on May 1, 1971, its Floridian continued to use the L&N station. The Southern Railway, which had declined to join Amtrak, continued to use its own station several blocks to the northeast. On February 1, 1979, the Southern Railway conveyed its passenger service to Amtrak and the Southern Crescent (shortened to Crescent) began serving the ex-L&N station as well. Amtrak discontinued the Floridian in October 1979 but the Crescent has operated uninterrupted ever since. Between 1989 and 1995 Alabama funded a Mobile, Alabama section of the Crescent named the Gulf Breeze.

The Birmingham Intermodal Facility, which opened in 2017, combines several modes of ground transportation in one central location: the MAX bus central station, Greyhound bus service, Megabus service, Amtrak passenger rail and the city's Zyp bike program. The $32 million facility also includes a Birmingham Police substation, a food service area, a retail space and the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority's corporate offices.

See also

• Birmingham Terminal Station – a separate passenger station in use from 1909 until it was demolished in 1969.

External links

Media related to Birmingham, Alabama (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons

• Birmingham, AL – Amtrak
• Birmingham, AL – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Birmingham Amtrak/L&N Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)