Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza (Toledo)

Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza
Lake Shore Limited in Toledo, 2006
Location	415 Emerald Avenue Toledo, Ohio 43602
Coordinates	41°38′16″N 83°32′30″W / 41.63778°N 83.54167°W / 41.63778; -83.54167Coordinates: 41°38′16″N 83°32′30″W / 41.63778°N 83.54167°W / 41.63778; -83.54167
Owned by	Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority
Line(s)	Lake Shore Limited   Capitol Limited
Platforms	3 island platforms (formerly 6 island platforms)
Tracks	5 (formerly 12)
Connections	Greyhound Lines Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach Barons Bus Lines
Construction
Parking	Yes; free
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	TOL
History
Opened	1950
Rebuilt	1996, 2016
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	68,463[1]  1.2%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Waterloo toward Chicago Capitol Limited Sandusky toward Washington, DC Bryan toward Chicago Lake Shore Limited Sandusky toward New York City or Boston South Station   Former services   Baltimore and Ohio Perrysburg toward Cincinnati Cincinnati – Toledo Terminus New York Central Railroad Swanton toward Chicago Water Level Route Milbury Junction toward New York City Terminus Norwalk Branch Milbury Junction toward Cleveland Detroit Branch Wagon Works toward Detroit Toledo – Charleston Lime City toward Charleston, West Virginia Toledo – Thurston Moline toward Thurston Sylvania toward Elkhart Old Road Terminus Amtrak Waterloo toward Chicago Pennsylvanian 1998-2003 Sandusky toward Philadelphia Detroit toward Chicago Lake Cities Before 1995 Terminus Bryan toward Chicago Lake Shore 1971-1972 Cleveland Union Terminal toward New York–Penn

Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza is the main passenger rail and intercity bus station of Toledo, Ohio, named for 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]

It is constructed in a Streamline Moderne style.

History

The original Central Union Terminal opened during the week of September 17, 1950, at a cost of $5 million. It 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]

The Amtrak era

Station sign with the previous Amtrak logo

Nickel Plate Steam Engine No. 765 parked at Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza

In the Amtrak era, Toledo was served by as many as six daily trains in the late 1990s. Prior to the discontinuation of mail services in 2005, 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.

Freight trains bypass the station platforms on bypass tracks on the south side of the station. 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.

A second remodel was done on the station including a ticket counter, office, and freight room along with bus bays in 2016 so it could support Greyhound Lines moving in.^[4] Greyhound moved in on June 23, 2016.^[5] Barons Bus Lines also stops at the station.^[6]

References

External links

Media related to Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza (Toledo) at Wikimedia Commons

• Amtrak – Stations – Toledo, OH
• Toledo Union(Amtrak) Station (USA RailGuide -- TrainWeb)
• Event Rental information
• Toledo, OH (TOL) (Amtrak's Great American Stations)