Kelso Multimodal Transportation Center

Infobox Station
style=Amtrak
name=Kelso


image_size=220
image_caption=The transportation center with the clock tower in the background
address=501 South First Avenue Kelso, Washington, 98626
line=
other= Greyhound Lines, Community Urban Bus Service (CUBS)
platform=
parking=
passengers=23,329
pass_year=2007
pass_percent=12
opened=1912
rebuilt=1995
ADA=
code=KEL
owned=City of Kelso
zone=

The Kelso Multimodal Transportation Center, is the station stop for Amtrak rail service for Kelso and neighboring Longview, Washington, USA. The station had 20,851 boardings during Amtrak's 2006 fiscal year, a decrease of 597 boardings from FY2005. [cite web |title= Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2005, State of Washington |publisher= [http://www.amtrak.com Amtrak] |month= October | year= 2006 |url= http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/WASHINGTON05.pdf |format= PDF |accessdate= 2007-02-26] [ cite web |title= Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2006, State of Washington |publisher= [http://www.amtrak.com Amtrak] |month= December | year= 2006 |url= http://ww.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/WASHINGTON06.pdf |format= PDF |accessdate= 2007-02-26] Greyhound Lines provides national and regional bus service, while Community Urban Bus Service (CUBS) provides local transit. Shuttle vans, taxis and rental cars can also be hired at the station.

History

The Kelso Train Station was originally built by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1912. The brick passenger and wood freight depot replaced an earlier wooden structure at a slightly different location.

In 1970 the Northern Pacific Railway merged with several other railroads to create the Burlington Northern Railroad. The station remained in active freight service until the early 1980s when Burlington Northern suspended freight service there and transferred that service to the Portland, Oregon hub.

The station became an Amtrak stop in 1981. The station was manned by a ticketing agent until the 1990s when the station was locked up due to vandalism.

In the mid-1990s the station underwent extensive remodeling to make it look like the passenger stations of a bygone era. The station's interior and exterior received face-lifts and rebuilds, and a 30-foot tall clock tower was constructed outside the station. The clock can be seen from across the Cowlitz River at the Cowlitz County Hall of Justice and as far north as the higher points in the Beacon Hill Neighborhood of Kelso. The refurbished station was formally dedicated on September 23, 1995.

Current services

The center serves as Amtrak station for the cities of Kelso and Longview, and also provides commercial and intercity bus service. The station stands as both the rail hub of the county and as a tribute to the rail pioneers of the Pacific Northwest.

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pecial events

Numerous special events are held at the station each year, the most notable of which is the Kelso Christmas Celebration at which the mayor lights the Christmas tree that adorns the clock tower and Santa Claus makes a visit via the Amtrak Cascades train. Between 2001 and 2004, the Kelso City Council held its meetings in the stations basement, because City Hall had been torn down to make way for a new bridge spanning the Cowlitz River.Fact|date=February 2007

In 1993, a special BN train made a stop at the station while it was carrying the company's CEO and board members on an inspection of the system. It was also used that year as a staging area for Burlington Northern's Incident Response Unit when a BN train suffered a head-on collision with a Union Pacific train about 15 miles down track from the station. Fact|date=February 2007In 1994 and 1995, the station was inundated with water damage when the nearby Cowlitz River peaked over the dike at 22 feet and flooded the basement and platform area, which ultimately led to the approval of the remodel. In 1996, a steam-powered locomotive made a journey past the station on its way to Seattle.Fact|date=February 2007

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.amtrak.com Amtrak official website]
* [http://www.abkj.com/website/2005/kelso.htm Kelso Multimodal Transportation Facility - Project Information website]
* [http://www.kelso.gov/recreation/attractions/depot.htm City of Kelso, Washington - Kelso Train Depot website]
* [http://www.amtrak.com/timetable/oct06/W32.pdf Amtrak "Cascades" Timetable]