Union Station

Love Amtrak as a whole, Seattle to Portland round trip. Its a great option. And turns a drive that is drudgery into a relaxing adventure. My ONE complaint, and its a BIG one: when you book your trip online, you are given the option of a rental car option. 10 $ a day, sounds great. What they don’t tell you is that you have to go to the airport, a 26 $ cab ride away, to get your car. Nobody at the station knew anything at all about it. Leaving us to make calls and try to figure it out, bad service. Fix this Amtrak!

The Union Station is intruiging. It forms a significant part of the local neighborhood. The confines of it hold information, helping staff, vending machines and a convenience store. This place enables people to travel by land across North America. Power outlets are moderate, yet unacceptably low in amount with some search needed to find them.
In going to Seattle, I went through here. It was okay for an Amtrak stop. I’m a little less interested in Amtrak since Bolt Bus takes far less time to go between Portland and Seattle. The route is a legacy collection of industrial railroads. The interior has a nice feel to it and there is a restaurant. Plenty of parking is here and the station is served by local light rail service. Several phone booths are here. Even though I made an error in assuming my receipt was the ticket, I handled it in six minutes, though don’t do it, because it could be the difference between catching and not catching the train.
This station could still be better.

If you’re going to take a cab or über to Union Station, be sure to plan ahead with some extra time. It’s much easier to get to by transit or walking, tucked as it is back under the –405 bridge. Once inside though, it’s the easiest place to navigate. Be sure to head straight to the back and right to get a seat assignment before boarding one of the trains north or south. There’s a small café/​market for items to stock up on as well; though quite honestly the prices there aren’t that much cheaper than the bistro lounge on either the Cascades or Empire Builder routes. All in all, a pretty easy place to navigate and move through, but plan ahead for some extra time to get in there.

Great Station, clear signs and a helpful staff. The station is very clean. Everything seems to run very efficiently. It is easy access from Downtown Portland and the Pearl District, just a ⁵⁄₁₀ drive from the Pearl District. My husband and I normally don’t rent a car when we travel and appreciate inexpensive Über or taxi rides to connect to other transportation options, under $ 10 bucks here for our ride to the station, that definitely works!

Union station is a beautiful, historic train station just outside of downtown Portland. It retains all of its grandeur from the glory days of rail travel, all the way down to the neon signs. And while it’s a magnificent building, it’s also kind of sad. It’s very desolate… There’s literally nothing here. Compared to train stations in Europe and Asia… it might as well be an empty lot.
Service at the station is VERY inconsistent. The ticket agents were phenomenal! They were very patient and helpful, which was much appreciated being our first time riding Amtrak. But, the baggage dept. was HORRENDOUS! The people working that counter couldn’t have been more rude and indifferent if they tried. And seriously Amtrak, what the hell is up with your policy of not allowing liquids in checked bags? SERIOUSLY?! With all the problems I got from the baggage handlers regarding this issue and other things, I almost regretted taking the train.
But it was an interesting experience to say the least and, as luck would have it, we arrived in Seattle early. So yeah, taking the train was quicker, more convenient, and more cost effective, but geez the service was all over the place.
Note to self: next time just lie to the jerks at baggage… Or just fly or drive.

About a mile away from downtown Portland sits this old, beautiful, train station.
There isn’t much to do nearby; I believe there is a restaurant attached outside, but I haven’t checked it out. Nothing else really. Try to come in the daytime, the area can be a little meh at night.
Make sure you bring a jacket; all of the doors are just open and it gets rather chilly in there. There are a few rows of benches for you to sit on while you wait. There is a small little shop with overpriced food such as salads and sandwiches, a few drink options, and then knick knacks all of Oregon theme.
The bathrooms are creepy gross… like very old, dirty, dark, gloomy, sketchy.
The employees are friendly here though. I had to change my ticket to a earlier train at the last minute, and the guy behind the counter was very helpful in getting my new ticket printed and explaining to me the boarding processes.
I still prefer to fly, but if I am just making a quick trip down south, I will certainly just hop the train from Seattle.

My father instilled in me the love of traveling by rail. I think in this day and age when almost everything is instant it is nice to choose to take life a little slower. Sit in a comfy chair and watch the world go by and listen to the rhythmic thump of the train running along the rails. Arriving at Union Station I immediately saw that this place is special. The station is beautiful although a bit frayed around the edges. Upon arrival you see a mix of travelers waiting about for the next stage of there journey and a few lost souls waiting for a better opportunity. The staff and security are very helpful. The station is clean and comfortable. I don’t recommend walking about the neighborhood at night.

This is quite possibly the worse service I have ever received in all my travels with Amtrak. One worker actually telling me I could not be in the station after purchasing a ticket then getting security to try and hassle me some more. One thing is for sure beauty dose not plague her face. I wish there was a way for her supervisor to see how she treats folks trying to just get home.

Union Station really is a beautiful building, it exudes grandeur of a bygone era. Yes, there actually was a time when people went by train, and made getting to a destination part of the trip, not just a means to an end. We went to the small bar located within, they have crazy good fried squid, very light and tender. On our way in we passed a bride and groom in full regalia being photographed in front of what looked to be an old Bentley. Very classy! Drinks are tasty, and can be sipped to live music.

The depot is historic and beautiful and they do a fairly good job of keeping the legions of nearby homeless hustlers away from the smiling faces arriving in Portland.
But I was here to pick up my wife and she scampered into my car, but i stopped with the nose of my car in the crosswalk. My fault no doubt the security guard told me this and I apologized and in a condescending power hungry voice he said «I hear sorrys all day long» what a prick.
Particularly since I was there maybe 20 seconds. What a nice greeting to Portland.

I absolutely love this train station. The huge open space of the main lobby and the marbled walls and old style neon signs that point to everything are really doing a lot to keep up the art deco aesthetic throughout the building. You can’t really tell from the outside that that is what it is going to look like inside. Strangely the bathrooms are kind of gross, despite the rest of the place being in really tip-​top shape.
The MAX is very easily accessible from right outside, and you are only about a 5 minute walk from the Pearl district, and from Powell’s and the bustle of Burnside. If you are catching a plane after arriving by train you can quickly either get on the MAX line that is right outside and transfer, or take the short walk to the Red line and take that straight up to PDX. I’ve never had a bad experience in dealing with this train station.

I’m a little spoiled by Seattle’s newly renovated King Street Station. It’s beauty is unrivaled! But when it comes to organization and getting from point A to point B, Portland’s Union Station has got everything you need.
It’s extremely close to the heart of downtown (about 1 mile exactly), there are cabs lined up on the curb ready to take you wherever you need to go, and the station and it’s employees have the whole operation under control. Gates are clearly marked, announcements are easy to hear, and whether I was unloading or loading, getting on/​off the train was a painless and fast process. Bags were easy to find, lines were short, and every employee I encountered had a smile on their face.
In fact, I found a friend at the station and it just so happened that we were both taking Business Class back to Seattle. We asked about changing seat reservations at the woman at the ticket counter was so extremely pleasant and helpful with making the change to our seat assignments that I practically wanted to just hang out longer and chat with her. She was all smiles. The kind that are contagious. Fantastic customer service!

Parking here is a test of patience sometimes. There is no parking allowed directly in front of the building, except taxis. Street parking is metered and there’s a pay-​to-​park lot across the street (operated by City Center Parking). Street parking is constantly patrolled by City of Portland and they will HARASS drivers who try to sit in the car and wait to pick someone up. You must pay the meter.
Union Station is conveniently located next to the Greyhound bus station, so during the holidays it’s convenient if you’re picking up passengers from both stations at the the same time.
Besides train travel, Wilf’s restaurant inside Union Station is a great place for dinner. Wilf’s is upscale dining, local ingredients, jazz music and great service (I’ll post a separate review for the restaurant.)

I was actually pretty impressed with the whole train experience. Portland’s train station is nice, it’s clean, easy to pick up your baggage, easy to get a cab, it’s sort of in a depressed area and it’s a bit of a walk to the light rail. But, all in all, I was very happy with my experience and will be taking the train to Portland again.

You already know how it goes with that never ending Portland versus Seattle debate. Which is better? Which has the better (insert name of typology)?
When it comes to main train stations, one cannot say that the King Street Station in Seattle is better than Portland Union Station. They each hold their own, although they are different from each other in many ways. It would be pointless to do a compare/​contrast, as that would be tedious, so it’s easier to extol Portland Union Station’s virtues.
Union Station’s edifice says train station, even without its signage. It is a beautiful building, with craftsmanship belonging to another era. I believe its style is eclectic, with elements that are Romanesque and Italianate … and who the hell knows what else. However, it works! The interior is also fairly grand, despite its not being a big station, because of the vastness of the spaces and the materials and finishes employed.
As for its location and logistics, those are very favorable. Union Station sits just north of downtown, not too far from Burnside, the city’s main east-​west thoroughfare, and it’s even possible to walk there from downtown. While Seattle’s station is near the bus station, Union Station is directly across the street from the city’s Greyhound station. It’s also across the street from the main post office, so you can combine a train departure with mailing letters. Does anyone even send letters anymore? Union Station sits right next to the Willamette River and, from it, one can glance at the Fremont Bridge, which is probably the city’s most visually pleasing. Also, while I should get off my usual shtick about public transit, the MAX’s green and gold lines dog leg upward from the tighter route of the older red and blue lines into downtown to snuggle up right next to the train station and the bus station, providing a dedicated stop for both.
Trains are cool. What can I say? Perhaps I like them because, as a kid, I had the opportunity to cross the U.S. from L.A. to N.Y. several times with my family aboard Amtrak’s bi-​level Super Chief, which requires a change of trains at Chicago and takes THREE days. The aura of grand train stations is something you can’t explain, as is the fairly smooth ride of big trains, with a few barely palpable undulations to break up the monotony. Yes, I also enjoy periodic air turbulence, as long as it’s not too severe! Also, trains can feel like big living rooms and people socialize. As a kid, I talked to a couple of other kids who had boarded in Arizona with a destination of Champaign, IL, some two hours before Chicago’s Union Station, where their father had accepted a job as a supermarket manager. Champaign sounded like champagne, so I sort of filed that funky name away in my head. Little did I know that I would go to grad school there. Life can be so weird.
As for actually using Union Station, I’ve used it for two trips. The first trip was aboard the Coast Starlight bi-​level Amtrak overnight service to «Sactomato» (that’s California’s capital) and involves spreading (out) one’s legs and sleeping in the fairly comfortable seats with plenty of leg room. The second trip was aboard the Cascades service to Seattle. Both trips were fun and sort of a treat, given that they made for a very different experience from the efficient and cost effective «cattle car in the sky» that is Southwest Airlines.
I don’t need to cajole you or remind you. The sign on Portland Union Station’s campanile will do that for me. The sign says «Go … by … train» and, at night, it lights up, one word at a time, so you don’t miss that message.
«Go … by … train» indeed.

GET YOUR TICKET NOW! All aboard, lots of people Go-​By Train. My wife and I have traveled to SoCal by train. I love sitting in the observation car for hours and just watch the sites go by. You’ll see pristine snow covered alpines as the train meanders northern California mountains or cruises past the pacific ocean beaches. My wife took her ma to Seattle for the day!
It all starts at the historic Union Station. Inside is Wilf’s (a 5 star Unilocaler) restaurant. Train travel is easy and convenient. Seats are comfy. Stretch out, drink good beer. If you haven’t gone by train, you don’t know what you’re missing. You must Go-​By Train.
Get your ticket at Union Station now!

During my northwest trip for Memorial Day Weekend 2014, I took the Amtrak from Portland to Seattle leaving from this station. The location is convenient for me because it was walking distance to the Enterprise where I rented my car and it is not too far from PDX airport. I was rushing both times I was here to go to my next location so I did not get to explore much of this place but I do remember getting a historic vibe from it.
From Union Station to PDX is a bit over an hour MAX ride ($ 2.50) or a 20 – 30 minutes taxi ride (~$ 40).

Cool historical place. Awesome brick walls. Classic clock tower. Trains. If none of these things interests you, you can at least enjoy the option of traveling by railroad.
It’s a nice scenic piece of history to soak in while in Portland. There’s some artifacts in display but I learned more about it on Wikipedia–
Union Station opened in 1896 and has a 150 ft tall clock tower. The neon signs were later added in 1948. In 1971, the owner decided to discontinue use of the sign because of the switch to Amtrak. It wasn’t until 1985 that the neon signs were put back to regular use, thanks to local non-​profit organizations that held fundraising campaigns for public donations.
Now, after that tidbit of history, don’t you appreciate this place more? Especially the cool neon signs!

Any friendly, helpful, professional experience usually ends as soon as you board the train. I’ve traveled Amtrak my entire life ~off and on~ the on board staff is almost always unfriendly, unhelpful, lazy and could care less about your needs (It’s owned by our government). Fortunately, I have no need for them beyond purchasing an overpriced meal, snack or beverage. (Think: airport prices).
Expect all staff to disappear after they’ve checked your boarding pass.
Still, train travel is so relaxing, enjoyable and nostalgic that I will always gravitate towards this method, schedule permitting.

A grand structure that still works well and sees some use from the Amtrak Cascades trains that pass through. It’s got the bare minimum of essentials you need from any travel depot — a concession stand, a ticketing counter, the requisite facilities, and — a true relic of a bygone era — coin-​operated landline pay phones with the Yellow Pages. It’s fairly clean and well-​maintained, and there’s plenty of seating in the large, airy waiting hall. It’s also conveniently located near a MAX light rail station and is also a short taxi ride anywhere downtown.
If it wasn’t for the fact that passenger rail service up and down the West Coast, and throughout America, often has to share the same tracks with commercial/​industrial traffic and therefore gets the short shrift, traveling by train could be a cost-​effective and environmentally friendly way to get from point A to point B.