Bethlehem Union Station

Last updated
Bethlehem
Bethlehem Union Station, 1979.tif
Bethlehem Union Station in 1979
General information
Location240 Union Station Plaza
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°36′49.67″N75°22′59.28″W / 40.6137972°N 75.3831333°W / 40.6137972; -75.3831333
Owned bySt. Luke's Hospital
Tracks2
History
Openedc.1851
ClosedJune 30, 1981 [1]
RebuiltNovember 18, 1867
1924
Former lines & services
Preceding station SEPTA.svg SEPTA Following station
Allentown
Closed 1979
Terminus
Bethlehem Line Hellertown
Preceding station Reading Railroad Following station
Terminus Bethlehem Branch Hellertown
toward Fern Rock
Preceding station Lehigh Valley Railroad Following station
Allentown
toward Buffalo
Main Line Easton
Freemansburg

Bethlehem Union Station is a former train station located in the South Side neighborhood of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1924 by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and the Reading Company, replacing an earlier station built in 1867. Passenger service to Philadelphia on the SEPTA Regional Rail Bethlehem Line lasted until 1981. The station was renovated in 2002 and used for medical clinics beginning in 2003. It is owned by St. Luke's Hospital.

Contents

History

Postcard of Bethlehem Union Depot in 1909 Bethlehem Union Station 1909 postcard.jpg
Postcard of Bethlehem Union Depot in 1909

In 1745, the Crown Inn was established as Bethlehem, Pennsylvania's first public house to serve stagecoach travelers. It soon became an important meeting point in the city, even after the nearby ferry was replaced with a bridge in 1794. The Lehigh Valley Railroad and North Pennsylvania Railroad both reached Bethlehem by 1855; in 1857, the Crown Inn was demolished to allow a new junction between the two railroads at the Lehigh Valley Railroad's South Bethlehem station. [2]

The two railroads built Bethlehem Union Depot, which opened on November 18, 1867. A two-story building with a pointed tower, it was not well liked. In 1924, it was replaced by Bethlehem Union Station, a larger modern brick building. [2]

Lehigh Valley passenger service ended on February 4, 1961, the last trains being the Maple Leaf and John Wilkes. [3] [4] The Lackawanna and Reading railroads' Interstate Express and the Reading's Scranton Flyer made stops at the station up to 1957 and 1949 respectively. [5]

In 1962, the two railroads attempted to auction off the station building. [6] However, it was not sold, and the property passed to Conrail when the Reading folded in 1976. Conrail continued to provide commuter service to Allentown under contract to SEPTA, which had been subsidizing service since 1966. As SEPTA discontinued its diesel service in favor of shorter electric lines, the line was cut back to Bethlehem in 1979. In April 1981, SEPTA announced its intentions to discontinue service on the line on July 1. PennDOT attempted to operate service but a last-minute deal with the Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority to operate the trains fell through during contract negotiations. [7] Service was cut back to Quakertown on July 1, then to Lansdale in August. [8]

Some restoration work was performed on the derelict station in the 1980s, but it was unused until Ashley Development Corporation refurbished it in 2002. [2] [9] St. Luke's Hospital moved clinics into Union Station in 2003, and bought the building outright in 2008. However, St. Luke's moved most of its services to a nearby building in 2011 and 2013. [9] [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quakertown, Pennsylvania</span> Borough in Pennsylvania, United States

Quakertown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2020, it had a population of 9,359. The borough is 15 miles (24 km) south of Allentown and Bethlehem and 40 miles (64 km) north of Philadelphia, making Quakertown a border town of both the Delaware Valley and Lehigh Valley metropolitan areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEPTA Regional Rail</span> Commuter rail service in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by SEPTA and serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, its suburbs and satellite towns and cities. It is the sixth-busiest commuter railroad in the United States, and the busiest outside of the New York, Chicago, and Boston metropolitan areas. In 2016, the Regional Rail system had an average of 132,000 daily riders and 118,800 daily riders as of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raritan Valley Line</span> Commuter rail line in New Jersey and New York

The Raritan Valley Line is a commuter rail service operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) which serves passengers in municipalities in Union, Somerset, Middlesex and Hunterdon counties in the Raritan Valley region in central New Jersey, United States. The line's most frequent western terminus is Raritan station in Raritan. Some weekday trains continue farther west and terminate at the High Bridge station, located in High Bridge. Most eastbound trains terminate in Newark; passengers bound for New York make a cross-platform transfer. A limited number of weekday trains continue directly to New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading Terminal</span> Former rail station in Philadelphia

The Reading Terminal is a complex of buildings that includes the former Reading Company main station located in the Market East section of Center City in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the Reading Terminal Headhouse, Trainshed, and Market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lansdale station</span> Train station in Pennsylvania

Lansdale station, also known as the Lansdale Transportation Center, is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Located at Main Street and Green Street, it serves the Lansdale/Doylestown Line. It was originally built in 1902 by the Reading Company, opening on February 7, 1903; a freight house was added in 1909. Historically, the station hosted the Interstate Express and the Scranton Flyer. Additionally, the station served commuter trains on the Reading's branch to Bethlehem until service was ended in 1981. The historic station building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.

The North Pennsylvania Railroad was a railroad company which served Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Northampton County in Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1852, and began operation in 1855. The Philadelphia and Reading Railway, predecessor to the Reading Company, leased the North Pennsylvania in 1879. Its tracks were transferred to Conrail and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lehigh Valley Transit Company</span>

The Lehigh Valley Transit Company (LVT) was a regional transport company that was headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company began operations in 1901, as an urban trolley and interurban rail transport company. It operated successfully into the 1930s, but struggled financially during the Great Depression, and was saved from abandonment by a dramatic ridership increase during and following World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perkasie Tunnel</span>

The Perkasie Tunnel is a train tunnel located behind the Post Office in Perkasie, Pennsylvania on 7th Street, on a line owned by SEPTA and operated by the East Penn Railroad. The tunnel itself is located near 8th Street and Ridge Road. Northbound passenger trains going through the tunnel traveled to Union Station in Bethlehem and points beyond. Many southbound passenger trains were destined for Reading Terminal in Philadelphia. The Perkasie station on 8th Street was formerly equipped with a water tower, of which not a trace remains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lansdale/Doylestown Line</span> SEPTA Regional Rail line from Philadelphia to Doylestown

The Lansdale/Doylestown Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line connecting Center City Philadelphia to Doylestown in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Until 1981, diesel-powered trains continued on the Bethlehem Branch from Lansdale to Quakertown, Bethlehem, and Allentown. Restored service has been proposed, but is not planned by SEPTA. The line is currently used by the East Penn Railroad, serving Quakertown's industrial complexes and distribution centers. With around 17,000 daily riders every weekday in 2019, it is the second busiest line in SEPTA's Regional Rail network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quakertown station</span> Historic train station

The Quakertown Passenger and Freight Station is a historic train station and freight depot located at Quakertown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The two buildings were designed by Wilson Bros. & Company in 1889 and built by Cramp and Co. for the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad in 1902. The passenger station is constructed of dark Rockhill granite and Indiana limestone and is in a Late Victorian style. It is 1+12 stories tall and measures 25 feet wide by 97 feet 6 inches, long. It has a hipped roof with an eight-foot overhang. The freight station is a 1+12-story, rectangular stone block building measuring 128 by 30 feet. Also on the property is a large crane that was used for freight movement. The Quakertown station had passenger rail service along the Bethlehem Line to Bethlehem and Philadelphia until July 27, 1981, when SEPTA ended service on all its intercity diesel-powered lines. SEPTA still owns the line and leases it to the East Penn Railroad. Other towns, stations, and landmarks on the Bethlehem Line are Perkasie, Pennsylvania, Perkasie Tunnel, and Perkasie station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allentown station (Central Railroad of New Jersey)</span> Defunct train station in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown is a defunct train station in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It was constructed by the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) and Reading Railroad from 1888–1889. The station closed in 1967 with the cessation of CNJ passenger service. The station is located one block east of the Lehigh Valley Railroad's Allentown station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lehigh Line (Norfolk Southern)</span> Railroad line in central New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania

The Lehigh Line is a railroad line in Central New Jersey, Northeastern Pennsylvania, and the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway. The line runs west from the vicinity of the Port of New York and New Jersey in Manville, New Jersey via Conrail's Lehigh Line to the southern end of Wyoming Valley's Coal Region in Lehigh Township, Pennsylvania.

The Bethlehem Line was a SEPTA Regional Rail service on the former Reading Company Bethlehem Branch between Lansdale and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Some trains continued over the electrified Lansdale/Doylestown Line to the Reading Terminal in Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillipsburg Union Station</span>

Phillipsburg Union Station is an inactive railroad station in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, United States, at 178 South Main Street. Opened in 1914, Union Station was built by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W) and shared with the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) and was situated where the lines merged before the bridge crossing the Delaware River. Designed by Frank J. Nies, the architect who produced many of DL&W stations now listed state and federal registers of historic places, the 2+12 story, 3 bay brick building is unusual example of a union station and a representation of early 20th century Prairie style architecture. The Phillipsburg Union Signal Tower, or PU Tower, is nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hellertown station</span>

The Hellertown station was a train station which was located in Hellertown, Pennsylvania on the former Bethlehem Line of the North Pennsylvania Railroad. Closed in July 1981, it was razed on December 6, 1982; no trace of it remains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perkasie station</span>

Perkasie is a defunct train station formerly operated by SEPTA Regional Rail in Perkasie, Pennsylvania, USA. It closed on July 29, 1981, after SEPTA cancelled its diesel train routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allentown station (Lehigh Valley Railroad)</span> Former train station in Allentown, Pennsylvania, US

Allentown was a train station in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It was opened by the Lehigh Valley Railroad in 1890 and closed in 1961. The building was demolished in 1972. The station was located one block west of the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Allentown station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centre Valley station</span>

Center Valley is a defunct train station formerly operated by SEPTA Regional Rail on the former Bethlehem Line in Center Valley in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania in the United States. It closed in 1981 when SEPTA terminated all diesel train service and was subsequently demolished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pottsville Line</span>

The Pottsville Line was a commuter rail service in the Delaware Valley, connecting Pottsville, Reading, and Pottstown with Philadelphia. It was the last vestige of passenger service on the former Reading main line. The service lasted into the SEPTA era and was discontinued in 1981. SEPTA continues to operate Manayunk/Norristown Line commuter trains between Philadelphia and Norristown.

References

  1. Moylan, Tom (June 30, 1981). "Rail Service Ends Today for Bethlehem; SEPTA Retains Quakertown Run". The Morning Call . Allentown, Pennsylvania. p. 16. Retrieved September 1, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  2. 1 2 3 Hubbard, Bill (March 20, 1999). "Historic Site, Fine Old Rail Station Are Overlooked". The Morning Call . Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  3. 'Direct Link To N.Y. CN Link To Be Cut,' 'St. Catherines Standard,' February 2, 1961
  4. 'Last of the Railroad - Era Passes Tonight as Lehigh Ends Service,' 'Geneva Times,' February 3, 1961 https://web.archive.org/web/20081013081023/http://www.enter.net/~lvrr/7a8.htm
  5. "Reading Railway System, Condensed Time-Table". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 82 (8). January 1950.
  6. "AUCTION By Order of The Reading Company and Lehigh Valley Railroad Company". Reading Eagle . November 7, 1962 via Google News.
  7. Hilferty, John (June 25, 1981). "PennDOT to Halt Commuter Trains on Pottsville and Bethlehem Lines". The Philadelphia Inquirer . p. B03.
  8. Gannett Fleming Inc. (January 2006). "Quakertown-Stony Creek Creek Passenger Rail Restoration Business Plan" (PDF). Bucks County Transportation Management Association. p. 2.
  9. 1 2 Darragh, Tim (March 25, 2011). "St. Luke's clinics pulling out of Bethlehem's Union Station". The Morning Call . Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  10. St. Luke's Hospital (July 10, 2013). "St. Luke's Physical Therapy Relocates Balance & Headache Center" (Press release). PRWeb.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Union Station (Bethlehem) at Wikimedia Commons