Denver's Union Station, newly restored, will officially open July 12, 2014, according to announcement made Thursday, March 20, by Visit Denver, the state capital's convention and visitors bureau.
The building features a central terminal built in 1914, along with surviving wings from a predecessor station built in 1884, which escaped a destructive fire, Visit Denver said.
The station has been the focus of a redevelopment project, sometimes contentious in nature, that seeks to integrate Regional Transportation District (RTD) light rail transit, new electric regional rail service, and bus operations. Amtrak also will return to the station in May, with its California Zephyr long-distance train service. Union Station and Denver International Airport is scheduled to be linked by rail service in 2016.
Renovation has been funded by RTD's FasTracks program, fueled by a sales tax increase approved by voters in 2004. The restored station also will include eight new restaurants, retail stores and a hotel, The Crawford, which will have 112 guest rooms and 3,000 square feet of meeting space.