La Crosse station

La Crosse station is an Amtrak intercity train station in La Crosse, Wisconsin, served by the daily Borealis and Empire Builder. The station was built in 1926–27 by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road), replacing an older station that burned in 1916. The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Depot and was renovated in 2001.

La Crosse, WI
The westbound Empire Builder at La Crosse station in 2023
General information
Location	601 Saint Andrew Street La Crosse, Wisconsin United States
Coordinates	43°50′00″N 91°14′50″W
Owned by	City of La Crosse
Line(s)	CPKC Tomah Subdivision
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Connections	MTU:  6  SMRT:  Yellow
Construction
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: LSE
History
Opened	1927
Rebuilt	1997
Passengers
FY 2023	21,259[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Winona toward St. Paul Borealis Tomah toward Chicago Winona toward Seattle or Portland Empire Builder
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Winona toward Seattle North Coast Hiawatha 1971-1979 Tomah toward Chicago Winona toward Duluth North Star 1978-1981 Tomah toward Chicago or Saint Paul–Midway Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station Bridge Switch towards Seattle or Tacoma Main Line West Salem towards Chicago Bridge Switch towards Wessington Springs Wessington Springs – La Crosse Terminus Bridge Switch towards Savanna Savanna – La Crosse
Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railway Passenger Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Area	2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built	1926–27
Architect	A. O. Lagerstrom
NRHP reference No.	97001512[2]
Added to NRHP	December 1, 1997

History

Original station

The La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad opened between its namesake cities in 1858, followed by the St. Paul and Milwaukee in 1867. Through mergers, both became part of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) by 1874. The 1858-built station was replaced by in 1878 by the Cameron House, a combined depot and hotel located near downtown La Crosse.^[2] By 1910, La Crosse was served by six daily round trips on the Chicago–Milwaukee–Minneapolis corridor (including Chicago–Tacoma and Chicago–Miles City, Montana round trips), two La Crosse–Savanna, Illinois round trips, one La Crosse–Wessington Springs, South Dakota round trip, and one La Crosse–Madison, South Dakota round trip. North La Crosse station, located at the junction of the mainline and the spur to downtown La Crosse, was served by some trips.^[3]

New station

The restored waiting room

The Cameron House station was gutted by fire on December 24, 1916; a temporary station was constructed nearby. A decade of public debate followed about a potential union station to serve all five railroads in La Crosse. The powerful Milwaukee Road insisted on a station in North La Crosse, away from the downtown area, to avoid the time-consuming backup move that crossed busy city streets. In 1925, the Milwaukee Road was given permission to construct its new station in North La Crosse, slightly east of the old North La Crosse station.^[4][2]

Construction began in 1926 and lasted about six months. The station cost $300,000 (equivalent to $4.2 million in 2023), plus $60,000 (equivalent to (equal to $0.8 million) for the acquisition of sixteen lots to make room for the structure. It opened on January 31, 1927. The location on the mainline saved 24 minutes for through trains compared to the downtown location.^[2] The Milwaukee Road authorized a taxi company to carry passengers between downtown La Crosse and the station for a flat fee.^[2] A downtown freight house remained in use until 1955.^[5]

By 1955, the station was served by one daily Chicago–Tacoma round trip (Olympian Hiawatha), three daily Chicago–Minneapolis round trips (Morning Hiawatha, Afternoon Hiawatha, Pioneer Limited, Fast Mail), one daily La Crosse–Austin round trip, and a Minneapolis-to-Chicago local.^[6] Over the years, service gradually decreased as subsidies for automobile and air travel cut into the profitability of passenger rail. Service to Austin was eliminated in 1960, and post office mail contracts were cut in 1967. By October 1970, only the daily Morning Hiawatha round trip plus the Minneapolis-to-Chicago Fast Mail served La Crosse.^[7]

Amtrak era

La Crosse station in September 1985

Amtrak took over intercity passenger service on May 1, 1971. Amtrak retained the Burlington Northern Railroad's Empire Builder, but rerouted it between Minneapolis and Chicago, replacing the Morning Hiawatha on a similar schedule. On November 14, 1971, Amtrak added a second daily Chicago–Minneapolis round trip. It ran between Chicago and Seattle three days a week as the North Coast Hiawatha, and between Chicago and Minneapolis the other four days as the Hiawatha. The Hiawatha was renamed Twin Cities Hiawatha on January 16, 1972, but returned to Hiawatha on October 29; it shared the North Coast Hiawatha name beginning in 1974.^[8]

The Empire Builder and North Coast Hiawatha were combined east of Minneapolis in 1977, with the Twin Cities Hiawatha operating daily. On April 30, 1978, the Arrowhead and Twin Cities Hiawatha were merged to form the Chicago–Duluth North Star. The North Coast Hiawatha was discontinued on October 6, 1979, though the Empire Builder continued to run. The North Star was cut back to a Minneapolis–Duluth service in October 1981, leaving only the daily Empire Builder serving La Crosse.^[8] The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.^[2] A renovation that included an accessible platform was completed in 2001.^[9]

Borealis service began on May 21, 2024.^[10] As part of the agreement to start Borealis service, a new track will be added in the station area and the platform will be reconstructed closer to the station. As of early 2024, there were two tracks by the station, one mainline track next to the platform and one lead track for the yard northeast of the station. The new configuration will have two mainline tracks plus the yard lead.^[11] Construction for the new platform and other ADA upgrades to the station are planned to be complete in Amtrak's fiscal year 2026 (after October 1, 2025).^[12]

References

1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Wisconsin" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
2. Koolman, Barbara M. (February 24, 1997). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form: Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railway Passenger Depot". National Park Service.
3. Passenger Train Schedules (PDF). Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad. September 1910.
4. "Guide to the La Crosse, Wisconsin, Committee on Railroads, Resolutions and Reports Relating to Railroads, 1858-1932". La Crosse Public Library.
5. Filipowicz, Diane H.; Matucheskj, Michael R. (September 24, 1980). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form: Freight House". National Park Service.
6. Hiawathas (PDF). Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad. April 24, 1955.
7. Passenger Train Schedules (PDF). Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad. October 25, 1970.
8. Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
9. "La Crosse, WI (LSE)". Great American Stations. Amtrak.
10. Magliari, Marc (April 30, 2024). "Introducing Amtrak Borealis trains with Expanded Service between St. Paul and Chicago via Milwaukee" (Press release). Amtrak.
11. "Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago Intercity Passenger Rail Service". Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
12. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Wisconsin" (PDF). March 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2024.

External links

Media related to La Crosse station at Wikimedia Commons

• La Crosse, WI – Amtrak
• La Crosse, WI – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)