The State of Texas chartered the Union Terminal Company on March 16, 1912. The mission of the company was to build a central terminal in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

for the seven railroads then serving the city. The terminal company ownership expanded to eight railroads, each having a 12.5% share: the

Texas & Pacific The Texas and Pacific Railway Company (known as the T&P) was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California. However its lines never went we ...

; the Frisco; the Rock Island; the

Cotton Belt The Cotton Belt is a region of the Southern United States where cotton was the predominant cash crop from the late 19th century into the 20th century.

; the

Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names ...

; the Santa Fe; the Katy; and the Trinity & Brazos Valley. The company opened the Dallas Union Terminal in October 1916 and was also operating 5 miles of track within Dallas. At the peak of its usage, as many as eighty trains stopped each day at the station. The last passenger train departed the terminal on May 31, 1969, and the Union Terminal Company ceased doing business on March 13, 1974. Dallas Union Terminal is now called

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

and is a

DART light rail The DART light rail system serves the metropolitan area of Dallas, Texas. It is owned and operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The system opened June 14, 1996 and serves 65 stations and four lines, covering : the , the , the , and th ...

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

, and

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

inter-city rail Inter-city rail services are Express train, express trains that run services that connect cities over longer distances than Commuter rail, commuter or Regional rail, regional trains. They include rail services that are neither short-distance co ...

station.

In 1936, the

Texas Highway Department The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a Texas state government agency responsible for construction and maintenance of the state's immense state highway system and the support of the state's maritime, aviation, rail, and public trans ...

with funding from the United States

Bureau of Public Roads The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

built a triple underpass to separate the grade of the Union Terminal Company track and Elm, Main and Commerce Streets. Railroad employees witnessed the

assassination of John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Kennedy was in the vehicle with his wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onas ...

Dealey Plaza Dealey Plaza is a city park in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, Texas. It is sometimes called the "birthplace of Dallas". It was also the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. The Dealey Plaza Historic ...

from the bridge on November 22, 1963.

Lee Bowers Lee Edward Bowers Jr. (January 12, 1925 – August 9, 1966) was a witness to the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. The timing and circumstances of Bowers's death have led to various a ...

, A Union Terminal Company employee working in a tower near the bridge, also witnessed the shooting and provided testimony to the

Warren Commission The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established by President of the United States, President Lyndon B. Johnson through on November 29, 1963, to investigate the A ...

References

{{reflist Defunct Texas railroads 1912 establishments in Texas 1974 disestablishments in Texas Railway companies established in 1912 Railway companies disestablished in 1974