Is Toledo Union Station Ready To Handle More Trains?

The dusty, yellowed old New York Central Railroad passenger timetable from 1942 tells a story. America had barely been engaged in World War II says the December 6th, 1942 dateline, and yet, Toledo was seeing 30 trains a day from just the New York Central at a depot generously described as a “dump”. Five other railroads brought their passenger trains into Toledo bringing the daily train total to a staggering 110 trains a day.

Embarrassed by the old station, city leaders lobbied the New York Central hard for a new train station. In September 1950, the $5.6-million dollar Toledo Union Station opened as the last modern station the railroad would build. Over 70,000 people visited the new, three-story, station. Featuring an exterior of glazed stone and Toledo-made glass, it was the gateway a major city deserved.