View source for New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal

{{short description|Rail station in New Orleans, Louisiana}}
{{Redirect|New Orleans station|the census-designated place|New Orleans Station, Louisiana}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox station
| name = New Orleans, Louisiana
| style = Amtrak
| image = NOUnionTerminal2Jan08FrontA.jpg
| caption = 
| address = 1001 Loyola Avenue<br />[[New Orleans]], Louisiana
| country = United States
| coordinates = {{coord|29|56|46|N|90|04|43|W|region:US-LA|display=inline,title}}
| owned = [[New Orleans|City of New Orleans]]
| operator = 
| line = <!-- the physical "line" is not the same as "services" which are detailed below -->
| platforms = 4 [[island platform]]s
| tracks = 6 (formerly 9+)
| train_operators = [[Amtrak]]
| bus_stands = 16
| bus_operators = {{rint|us|greyhound}} [[Greyhound Lines]]<br>{{rint|us|Megabus}} [[Megabus (North America)|Megabus]]
| connections ={{rint|bus|1}} [[New Orleans Regional Transit Authority]]
| structure = 
| parking = 180 long term spaces
| bicycle = 
| accessible = Yes
| architect = 
| architectural_style = 
| status = 
| code = {{Amtrak code|NOL}}
| opened = 1954
| closed = 
| rebuilt = 2005 (renovation)
| mpassengers = {{rail pass box|system=Amtrak|passengers={{Amtrak ridership|New Orleans}}{{Amtrak ridership|citationLA}}|pass_year={{Amtrak ridership|date}}}}
| services = {{Adjacent stations|system1=Amtrak
|line1=City of New Orleans|right1=Hammond
|line2=Crescent|right2=Slidell
|line3=Sunset Limited|left3=Schriever
|system4=NORTA
|line4=Rampart-Loyola|right4=Julia Street}}
| other_services2_header = Future services
| other_services2_collapsible = yes
| other_services2 = {{Adjacent stations|system=Amtrak|line=Mardi Gras Service|right=Bay St. Louis|note-mid1=(Summer 2025)|line2=New Orleans–Baton Rouge passenger rail|left2=Jefferson Parish|note-mid2=(possibly 2027)}}
| other_services_header = Former services
| other_services_collapsible = yes
| other_services = {{Adjacent stations
|system=Amtrak
|line=Sunset Limited|left1=Schriever|right1=Bay St. Louis|type1=East|note-mid1=(1993–2005)
|line2=Gulf Coast Limited|right2=Bay St. Louis|note-right2=(1996–1997)
|right3=East New Orleans|note-right3=(1984–1985)
|system4=Illinois Central Railroad
|line4=Main|right4=Carrollton Avenue
|line5=Y&MV main 1954|right5=Carrollton Avenue
|system6=Kansas City Southern Railway
|line6=Louisiana and Arkansas Railway|left6=Carrollton Avenue|
|system7=Louisville and Nashville Railroad
|line7=Main Line|right7=Carrollton Avenue
|system8=Missouri Pacific Railroad
|line8=Alexandria-New Orleans|left8=Avondale
|line9=El Paso-New Orleans|left9=Carrollton Avenue
|line10=Houston-New Orleans|left10=Carrollton Avenue
|system11=Southern Pacific Railroad
|line11=Sunset Route|left11=Carrollton Avenue
|system12=Southern Railway
|line12=New Orleans-Cincinnati|right12=Carrollton Avenue
|system13=NORTA
|line13=49|right13=Julia Street
}}
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-marker = rail
| mapframe-marker-color = #{{rcr|Amtrak}}
| mapframe-zoom = 14
}}
'''New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal''' ('''NOUPT''') is an [[intermodal passenger transport|intermodal]] facility in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], US.  Located at 1001 Loyola Avenue, it is served by [[Amtrak]], [[Greyhound Lines]], [[Megabus (North America)|Megabus]], and [[New Orleans Regional Transit Authority|NORTA]] with direct connections to the [[Rampart–Loyola Streetcar Line]].

The station is the major southern terminus hub for [[Amtrak]], serving three [[long-distance Amtrak routes|long-distance]] trains, the ''[[City of New Orleans (train)|City of New Orleans]],'' the ''[[Crescent (Amtrak)|Crescent]],'' and the ''[[Sunset Limited]].''  Between 1993 and the strike of [[Hurricane Katrina]] in 2005, the Sunset Limited continued east to Florida. Since the hurricane, New Orleans has been the eastern terminus of the route, although in 2016 Amtrak did propose bringing back service east of New Orleans.

Amtrak operates a coach and engine yard near the [[Terminal station|terminal]].

== History ==
[[File:L&A (Louisiana and Arkansas Railway) Train 10, The Flying Crow, at New Orleans Union Terminal on November 22, 1967. (24361401810).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Kansas City Southern Railway]]'s ''Flying Crow'' at New Orleans Union Terminal on November 22, 1967]]
Union Passenger Terminal was built just west of the older [[New Orleans Union Station]] to consolidate the city's passenger rail operations. Previously, New Orleans had been served by five stations–Union Station, the [[Southern Railway Terminal (New Orleans)|Southern Railway Terminal]], [[Texas Pacific - Missouri Pacific Station (New Orleans)|T&P Station]], Louisiana & Arkansas Station, and [[L&N Station (New Orleans)|Louisville & Nashville Station]].

Parts of the station property also are over what once was the [[turning basin]] for the [[New Basin Canal]].  The main lead track to the terminal follows the path of the old canal (which was filled in) and the [[Pontchartrain Expressway]]/[[Interstate 10 in Louisiana|I-10]].

NOUPT was designed in 1949 by the New Orleans architectural firms of Wogan and Bernard, Jules K. de la Vergne, and August Perez and Associates. When it opened in 1954, it was considered an ultramodern facility, completed just at the time that air travel was taking off at the expense of rail travel.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Centralization in the Crescent City |journal=Classic Trains Magazine |date=Winter 2010 |url=https://www.trains.com/ctr/magazine/archive-access/classic-trains-winter-2010/ |access-date=June 17, 2022 |volume=11 |issue=4 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

[[File:New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal Feb 2018 Interior.jpg|thumb|left|Interior of New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal]]
The stub-end terminal consists of covered [[railway platform|platform]]s and a modern waiting hall. A {{convert|120|ft|m|adj=on}} long mural of Louisiana and New Orleans history, painted by Conrad A. Albrizio with the assistance of James Fisher,<ref>{{cite web |title=Crescent City Choo Choo Page Four |url=http://nutrias.org/exhibits/choochoo/page4.htm |date=July 24, 2002 |access-date=2022-06-17 |website=New Orleans Public Library |archive-date=June 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629150339/http://nutrias.org/exhibits/choochoo/page4.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> was restored after 2005's [[Hurricane Katrina]].  The freight and express houses are now the domain of the [[Smoothie King Center]] and Main Post Office.

In the 1970s, parts of two platforms were shortened to allow for [[Greyhound Lines]] to move its service there, creating an [[intermodal passenger transport|intermodal]] facility.

Following [[Hurricane Katrina]], Amtrak provided the first commercial transportation out of New Orleans. During the recovery efforts, the bus station at NOUPT was used for a temporary jail nicknamed [[Camp Greyhound]].

In January 2013, the station became the terminus for the new mile-long [[Rampart–Loyola Streetcar Line|Loyola Avenue-Union Passenger Terminal Streetcar Line]] connecting Canal Street with the Central Business District and destinations such as the Superdome. The $52 million project was largely funded through a $45 million Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant awarded to the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority by the U.S. Department of Transportation.<ref>{{cite web |title=New Orleans, LA – Union Passenger Terminal (NOL) |website=Great American Stations |url=https://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/new-orleans-la-nol/ |access-date=2022-01-05 |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Megabus (North America)|Megabus]] started operations at the Union Passenger Terminal in 2015.

Gulf Coast regional officials have been advocating for restoration of daily train service between New Orleans and Florida since 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hampton |first=Paul |date=July 19, 2017 |title=Gulf Coast leaders push to restore passenger train service with two New Orleans routes |url=https://www.nola.com/article_f4550234-634b-5a1e-a2d1-b492c42ca2d5.html |access-date=2022-01-05 |newspaper=[[The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=February 6, 2016 |title=Amtrak, officials taking tour for potential New Orleans to Orlando rail service |url=https://www.nola.com/article_1f66e309-c227-51fe-b77a-c97f788e9725.html |access-date=June 17, 2022 |newspaper=The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate |language=en}}</ref>

In February 2021, it was announced that passenger rail service would return to the Gulf Coast with a [[Mardi Gras Service|new Amtrak route]] between New Orleans and {{amtk|Mobile}}. Stops include Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 25, 2021 |title=Amtrak set to return to Gulf Coast in 2022 with 4 stops in South Mississippi |url=https://www.wlox.com/2021/02/25/amtrak-set-return-gulf-coast-with-stops-south-mississippi/ |access-date=2022-01-05 |website=[[WLOX]] News |language=en}}</ref> Service is expected to begin in June 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last1=staff |title=Amtrak now expected to begin Gulf Coast passenger rail service in June |url= https://www.wlox.com/2025/01/16/amtrak-now-expected-begin-gulf-coast-passenger-rail-service-june |access-date=January 16, 2025 |work=www.wlox.com |agency=WLOX 13 |publisher=WLOX}}</ref>
{{NOUPT track map}}{{clear left}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category-inline|New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal}}
{{Amtrak web|NOL|New Orleans, LA|LOUISIANA}}
*[http://www.trainweb.org/usarail/neworleans.htm New Orleans Amtrak and Streetcar Station (USA Rail Guide — Train Web)]
*[http://www.norta.com/index.php New Orleans Regional Transit Authority] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070413141348/http://www.norta.com/index.php |date= April 13, 2007 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20181109224306/http://southernhsr.org/ Southern High-Speed Rail Commission]
*[http://seaa.tulane.edu/ The Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries]
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/gatesofmemphis/2750782729/in/photostream/ Photographs of Albrizio mural on Flickr]
*[http://countryroadsmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2124:conrad-albrizio-murals&catid=38:cultural-icons&Itemid=56/ Article on restoration of Albrizio mural] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521184152/http://countryroadsmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2124:conrad-albrizio-murals&catid=38:cultural-icons&Itemid=56/ |date=May 21, 2013 }}
*[http://hawkinsrails.net/shortlines/noupt/noupt.htm HawkinsRails' NOUPT scrapbook] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203150953/http://hawkinsrails.net/shortlines/noupt/noupt.htm |date= December 3, 2019 }}

{{Amtrak Louisiana stations}}

[[Category:Amtrak stations in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Transportation buildings and structures in New Orleans]]
[[Category:Union stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1954]]
[[Category:Economy of New Orleans]]
[[Category:Transit centers in the United States]]
[[Category:1954 establishments in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Former Illinois Central Railroad stations]]
[[Category:Former Kansas City Southern Railway stations]]
[[Category:Former Southern Pacific Railroad stations]]
[[Category:Former Missouri Pacific Railroad stations]]
[[Category:Former Louisville and Nashville Railroad stations]]
[[Category:Former Texas and Pacific Railway stations]]
[[Category:Former Southern Railway (U.S.) stations]]