Railway History

During the mid-1800s, the business of railroads in the United States was booming with over 29,000 miles of rail tracks in operation by 1860; a growth spurt that would continue for years to come.

With Boston at the forefront of rail development, it seemed only natural that it would become home to the largest and busiest rail center in the entire world.

At the time, railroad companies offering service to the Boston area had separate train terminals, creating a problem for passengers who had to navigate themselves and their luggage between those terminals in order to make connections.

The solution became two central train terminals for Boston: one to handle travel north of the city (North Union Station, opened in 1893) and the other to handle travel south and west (South Union Station).