| Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Station statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Address | 415 Emerald Ave. Toledo, OH 43602 |
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| Lines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections | Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 5 (2 in use) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 9 (2 in use) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes; free | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baggage check | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1950 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Code | TOL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traffic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers (2011) | 66,413[1] 1.1% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza is the main passenger rail station of Toledo, Ohio. named for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In 1996, the Port Authority completed an $8.5 million renovation of the historic Central Union Terminal facility and it now serves as a modern, intermodal train and bus terminal and office complex.
Toledo is served by four Amtrak trains daily, with service to Chicago and several destinations to the east including Cleveland, Ohio, Washington, D.C., Boston, Massachusetts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and New York City.[2]
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The Historic Central Union Terminal, Toledo, Ohio, opened with great fanfare the week of September 17, 1950, the $5,000,000 C.U.T. was the last of the New York Central Railroad's great stations. The new terminal was the crown jewel of a large post-war investment by the New York Central into Toledo, which involved constructing nine new buildings, as well as moving and expanding (in conjunction with the B&O) an $18,500,000 coal loading facility from East Toledo to Maumee Bay. C.U.T. was used by four major railroads during the 1950s and 1960s: the New York Central, Baltimore and Ohio, Chesapeake and Ohio, and the Wabash Railroad. The first floor housed baggage services, while the second floor housed a YMCA for train crews. The passenger terminal and concourse were on the third floor, while the NYC Toledo division and dispatching offices were on the fourth.[3]
In the Amtrak era, Toledo was served by as many as 6 trains daily in the late 1990s, the four above, as well as the now discontinued eastbound and westbound Pennsylvanian. Prior to the discontinuation of mail services more recently, Amtrak stored a number of material handling cars (MHCs) at Union Station on several of the disused platform tracks. A small number of private cars are often stored on the platform tracks closest to the station. As of 2008, while the station appears in good shape, at least cosmetically, the concrete platforms are crumbling, particularly at the far ends. Freight trains still bypass the station platforms on bypass tracks on the north side of the station just as they did in the days of the New York Central. There was once a connecting Amtrak line from this station to one that existed in Fostoria at the other end going south.
Toledo hosts the 'first' National Train Day every year, a week before the event is held in other cities nationwide.
The station is now owned by the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.