Tacoma station (1984)

Tacoma is an Amtrak train station in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It is served by Amtrak's Cascades and Coast Starlight lines. The one-story building was constructed to a standard design that Amtrak developed in the 1970s and used at locations throughout the country for the next two decades. Typical features included at Tacoma are brick walls, floor-to-ceiling windows and a flat, black, cantilevered roof.[3] The station was replaced by a new Amtrak facility at Tacoma Dome Station, an existing commuter rail and light rail hub, that opened in 2017; however, it was reopened 24 hours after closing due to the 2017 Washington train derailment on the new line to the new station. The station will stay open with service until the derailment is investigated and cleaned up.[4][5]

Tacoma, WA
Location	1001 Puyallup Avenue Tacoma, WA 98421[1] United States
Coordinates	47.2420°N 122.4206°W
Owned by	Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Construction
Parking	Free
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	TAC
History
Opened	1984, December 18, 2017 (reopened)
Closed	December 17, 2017
Passengers
2016	118,832[2]  0.52%
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Olympia-Lacey toward Los Angeles Coast Starlight Seattle Terminus Olympia-Lacey toward Eugene–Springfield Amtrak Cascades Tukwila toward Vancouver, British Columbia
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Seattle Terminus Pioneer Discontinued in 1997 Olympia-Lacey toward Chicago
Location
Tacoma, WA Location in Washington Tacoma, WA Location in the United States

Replacement

After an early plan from 2013 to build a new station in the west end of the building was rejected due to public criticism of the design, the state of Washington in 2015 completed a new design, placing the station in the center of the building.[6] In March 2016, the state reached an agreement to purchase the required part of the building and demolish it to make way for the new station, with construction to begin in June 2016.[7]

Amtrak trains were rerouted away from Tacoma's shoreline and onto a new inland cutoff route, the Point Defiance Bypass, on December 18, 2017. The reroute also resulted in the relocation of the city's Amtrak station to a new facility at Tacoma Dome Station in the Freighthouse Square building, a former warehouse rebuilt into a collection of small businesses and eateries near the Tacoma Dome. The trains were re-routed back onto the original route after a major derailment on the bypass near DuPont, Washington on that same day.

The Puyallup Avenue station will remain in use until the Point Defiance Bypass is re-opened to Amtrak service, which is tentatively scheduled for 2020.[8]

Boardings and alightings

Year	2011[9]	2012[10]	2013[11]	2014[12]	2015[13]	2016[2]
Total	124,252	123,063	126,027	125,984	118,223	118,832
YOY Difference	-	-1,189	2,964	-43	-7,761	609
YOY Difference %	-	-0.96%	2.41%	-0.03%	-6.16%	0.52%

References

1. "Tacoma, WA (TAC)". amtrak.com. Amtrak. Retrieved 11 Jan 2014.
2. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2016, State of Washington" (PDF). amtrak.com. Amtrak. November 2016. Retrieved 17 Jan 2017.
3. "The Amtrak Standard Stations Program". Amtrak History & Archives. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
4. "Amtrak trains will revert to old route Tuesday, one cancelled". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
5. "Amtrak Service Disruption South of Seattle" (Press release). Amtrak. December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
6. "Tacoma Amtrak station final design ready for public review". The News Tribune. October 25, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
7. "Tacoma Amtrak station construction to begin in June after deal with Freighthouse Square owner". The News Tribune. March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
8. Banse, Tom (December 23, 2019). "Plans to beef up Amtrak Cascades service in 2020 beset by multiple uncertainties". KUOW. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
9. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2011: State of Washington" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2011. p. 1. Retrieved 6 Jan 2015.
10. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2012: State of Washington" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2012. p. 1. Retrieved 6 Jan 2015.
11. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2013: State of Washington" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2013. p. 1. Retrieved 6 Jan 2015.
12. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2014: State of Washington" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2014. p. 1. Retrieved 12 Jan 2016.
13. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2015: State of Washington" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2015. p. 1. Retrieved 12 Jan 2016.

External links

• Tacoma, WA – Amtrak
• Tacoma (TAC) (Amtrak's Great American Stations)