J. Douglas Galyon Depot

J. Douglas Galyon Depot,[1] also known as Greensboro station, is an intermodal transit facility in Greensboro, North Carolina. Located at 236 East Washington Street in downtown Greensboro, it serves Amtrak passenger rail and is the city's main hub for local and intercity buses.

J. Douglas Galyon Depot
Amtrak inter-city rail station
Location236 East Washington Street[1]
Greensboro, North Carolina
United States
Coordinates36°04′10″N 79°47′14″W
Owned byCity of Greensboro
Line(s)
  • Danville District
  • H-Line
Platforms2 island platforms
Tracks4
Bus stands22
Bus operators
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Parking102 spaces; free
Disabled accessYes
ArchitectAlfred T. Fellheimer
Architectural styleBeaux-Arts
Other information
Station codeGRO
History
Opened1927,[1] reopened 2005
Closed1979
Rebuilt2001–2003[1]
Original companySouthern Railway
Passengers
FY2018118,176[2][3]  6.29%
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
High Point
toward New Orleans
 Crescent Danville
toward New York
High Point
toward Charlotte
 Carolinian Burlington
toward New York
Piedmont Burlington
toward Raleigh

The station was built in 1927. Train service was moved to a new building outside downtown in 1979. The historic station was renovated and reopened as a transit center in 2005.

History

The station was originally built in 1927 as the Greensboro Southern Railway Depot. It was a replacement for an 1899 Southern Railway Depot that still exists today, albeit without the gabled-third story and cupola it had in the past. The 1927 depot was donated to the city in 1978, a year before the Southern Railroad finally gave up passenger service.

Efforts to return service to the old station began in 1993. It was heavily renovated from 2001 to 2005, and reopened to the public on October 1, 2005.[4] The restored station was named for James Douglas "Doug" Galyon (1911-2019), a longtime civic leader in Greensboro who was a member of the North Carolina Board of Transportation from 1992 to 2008, serving for most of that time as the board's chairman.[5]

Designed by the New York architectural firm of Alfred T. Fellheimer & Steward Wagner, the 1927 Beaux-Arts facade of the Greensboro station features Ionic columns, a full entablature, and a three-story arched entry. Inside, the ticketing area features a vast mural displaying the service area of the Southern Railway system in the 1920s.[6]

Until 1970 the Southern Railway operated the Asheville Special from Asheville and Winston-Salem to Greensboro. Until the 1960s that train had linked with the Augusta Special at Greensboro and had continued to Washington, D.C. and New York City. Until the 1960s the Carolina Special went from Cincinnati to Asheville, through Greensboro, then east to Goldsboro in the eastern part of the state.

Present-day service

The station is served by three Amtrak trains: the Crescent, the Carolinian and the Piedmont. The Crescent uses the longer north platform closer to the station, while the Carolinian and Piedmont use the shorter south platform. This is because the Crescent takes a more northerly route to the Northeast via Danville, Virginia while the Carolinian and Piedmont use an easterly route via Raleigh.

It also serves Greensboro Transit Authority and Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation buses and intercity bus companies.

  • Carolinian train 80 at Greensboro
  • Amtrak train arriving in Greensboro
  • View of the restored platforms
  • Inside of restored station

References
  1. "Bus Stops and Facilities - Greensboro, NC". Greensboro Transit Authority / Public Transportation Division. City of Greensboro. Retrieved February 3, 2019. The Depot building was originally built in 1927 by Southern Railway and renovated between 2001 and 2003.
  2. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2018, State of North Carolina" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2017, State of North Carolina" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  4. Station information page at former NCDOT Rail Division site
  5. Taft Wireback (April 8, 2019). "Former local, state leader Doug Galyon, for whom Greensboro's depot is named, has died". Greensboro News & Record.
  6. (Preservation Greensboro) Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine

Media related to Greensboro (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons

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