Fresno station (California High-Speed Rail)

This article is about the former Southern Pacific station and future California High-Speed Rail station. For the current Amtrak station, see Santa Fe Passenger Depot (Fresno, California).

Fresno is a California High-Speed Rail station being constructed in Fresno, California. The first purpose-built high speed rail station in the United States,^[2] it is part of the system's Initial Construction Segment. The facility is located in Downtown Fresno at H Street between Fresno and Tulare Streets, and is being built as an expansion of the adjacent historic Fresno Southern Pacific Depot.

Fresno
The Depot as seen from Tulare Street, 2014
General information
Location	H Street Fresno, California
Coordinates	36.733074°N 119.793732°W / 36.733074; -119.793732
Owned by	California High-Speed Rail Authority
Other information
Status	under construction
History
Opened	April 1872
Opening	2030 (California High-Speed Rail)
Closed	April 1, 1971
Rebuilt	October 1889
Original company	Central Pacific Railroad
Future Services
Preceding station California High-Speed Rail Following station Madera towards Merced Phase I Central Valley Segment Kings–Tulare towards Bakersfield
Former Services
Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station Madera toward Oakland Pier San Joaquin Valley Line Malaga toward Los Angeles Kerman toward Oakland Pier San Joaquin Valley Line via West Side Madera toward Sacramento Sacramento Daylight Tulare toward Los Angeles Madera toward Oakland Pier San Joaquin Daylight
Southern Pacific Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Fresno Depot Show map of California Fresno Depot Show map of the United States
Coordinates	36°43′57″N 119°47′33″W
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1889
Built by	Southern Pacific
Architectural style	Queen Anne style
NRHP reference No.	78000665[1]
Added to NRHP	March 21, 1978
Location Fresno Location within California

The station is about 7 blocks south from the existing Fresno Amtrak station. The high-speed rail line runs along the right-of-way of the Union Pacific Railroad at this location.^[3]

History

Southern Pacific Railroad

Southern Pacific Fresno Station c. 1915

This was the site of the first station established in Fresno.^[4] In April 1872, the Central Pacific Railroad built a simple wood frame depot.^[5]

By 1888 the station had come under the ownership of Southern Pacific (SP), who wished to expand the facility. The City of Fresno rejected initial plans for a new station building, forcing SP to redesign and submit a new blueprint in the Queen Anne style of architecture, one of two such stations in California.^[5] The new Depot opened in October 1889 and consolidated much of the company's freight operations in the Valley.^[1]

Expansions and remodels occurred in the 1900s: more freight space was added on the south side of the building some time between 1914 and 1929, offices were built on the north side in 1930, and the waiting room was remodeled in 1945.^[1] The Depot hosted named trains such as the Sacramento Daylight and San Joaquin Daylight.

The station was closed on May 1, 1971, as Amtrak assumed most intercity rail operations in the United States and the Central Valley was left out of the initial system. When services were resumed in Fresno in 1974, they used the Santa Fe Passenger Depot on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway line, about 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) to the northeast.

The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 21, 1978.^[1] It is additionally listed on the City of Fresno Local Register of Historic Resources.

California High-Speed Rail

Rendering of the planned Fresno HSR station; the old station building is on the right

The groundbreaking ceremony for the California High-Speed Rail system was held at the station site on January 6, 2015.^[6] In July 2015, it was estimated that construction of the station building itself would commence in 2017 or 2018^[7] and was expected to spur new development in Downtown Fresno.^[8] In October 2016, the plans called for the station to occupy about 120,000 square feet and cost about $80 million, with the planning work being finished by the end of 2019.^[9]

Several existing industrial and office buildings in the vicinity had to be demolished to make way for the station and tracks.^[10] At the end of January 2017, demolition was begun on a former Greyhound bus terminal dating from the 1950s that occupied the site of the future high-speed rail station.^[7][11]

In June 2023, the CHSRA received a $20 million federal grant for restoration of the station building and construction of a plaza. The $33.2 million project budget also includes $11.2 million in CHSRA funds.^[12]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Resnik, Max (June 2, 2017). "6 things to know about the high-speed rail project". KCRA. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
3. "Fresno Station". California High-Speed Rail Authority. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
4. "History of Fresno". City of Fresno. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
5. "Historical Perspective: Southern Pacific Railroad depot". Fresno Bee. August 21, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
6. Siders, David (January 6, 2015). "Groundbreaking at Fresno for California high-speed rail". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
7. Lurie, George (July 10, 2015). "Rail Authority: Fresno station construction could begin by 2017". The Business Journal. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
8. Johnson, Brian (October 14, 2015). "Fresno officials get ready for downtown High Speed Rail station". ABC30 Fresno. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
9. Sheehan, Tim (October 9, 2016). "High-speed rail agency delays decision on Fresno station design". Fresno Bee. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
10. Sheehan, Tim (August 24, 2015). "High-speed rail continues to gobble up Fresno buildings". Fresno Bee. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
11. Sheehan, Tim (January 30, 2017). "Demolition begins on Fresno's former Greyhound bus station". Fresno Bee. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
12. "NEWS RELEASE: High-Speed Rail Authority Receives $20 Million From Federal Government to Revitalize Historic Fresno Train Depot" (Press release). California High-Speed Rail Authority. June 28, 2023.

External links

• Fresno Station - California High-Speed Rail