Greensboro, NC (GRO)

236 East Washington Street
Galyon Transportation Center
Greensboro, NC 27401

Station Ownership

Facility:
City of Greensboro

Parking:
City of Greensboro

Platform(s):
North Carolina Railroad Company

Track(s):
North Carolina Railroad Company

Amtrak Contact

Todd Stennis

Routes Served:

• Carolinian
• Piedmont
• Crescent

History

The Greensboro passenger station, the J. Douglas Gaylon Depot, opened on October 1, 2005. This Southern Railway depot (also used by the Atlantic & Yadkin), opened originally in 1927, had been closed to passengers since May 1979, when the railway donated it to the city.

At its peak in the 1940s, more than 40 passenger trains came through the station daily. Designed by the New York architectural firm of Fellheimer and Wagner, the station has a main waiting room with an impressive mural of the Southern Railway network during the 1920s. The station has a pedestrian tunnel extending from the waiting room, under the tracks and up to the train platforms.

From 1979 to October 2005, rail passengers waited for the train in a small freight railroad office several miles west of downtown. The North Carolina Department of Transportation and city of Greensboro began working together in 1993 on plans to return passenger rail service to the original station and improve connections with other modes of transportation.

Restorations included reconfiguring a portion of the tracks near the station, extending the former passenger tunnel and building a new baggage tunnel, boarding platforms and canopies for train passengers. Modernizations included trackside escalators and digital arrival/departure monitors; however, significant effort was made to retain the original 1920s appearance of this beautiful station.

Construction of Phase I began in summer 2001 and was completed in summer 2003. During the first phase, crews restored the lower level train passenger service areas and converted the upper level baggage handling areas to waiting areas for Greensboro Transit Authority city buses and Piedmont Authority for Regional Transit (PART) regional buses. The nearby building formerly used by the Railway Express Agency now houses intercity bus service.

During Phase II crews worked on the interior of the depot for Amtrak service, reconstructed the pedestrian tunnel, passenger platforms and canopies and constructed a new baggage tunnel. Work began in fall 2003 and was completed in October 2005.

The Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration, state and city funds paid for the $32 million project.

Greensboro was named for Major Nathaniel Greene, commander of the American forces at the Battle of Guilford Court House in 1781. The town was established near the center of Guilford County, planned around a central courthouse square in 1808 to succeed the nearby town of Guilford Court House as the county seat.

In 1840, Greensboro was selected by request of the then-Governor Morehead for inclusion on a new railroad line. The city grew substantially due to its role as a transportation hub for mill villages around the city. In the 1890s, the city continued to attract attention from northern industrialists, including Moses and Caesar Cone of Baltimore; the Cone brothers established large-scale textile plants, changing Greensboro from a town to a city within a decade. By 1900, Greensboro was considered a center of the southern textile industry, with large scale factories producing denim, flannel and overalls.

Greensboro remains a major textile headquarter city, with the main offices of several major textile groups still there. It is also the corporate headquarters of Lorillard Tobacco Company, AIG United Guaranty, Volvo Trucks of North America and others. Rail traffic continues to be important to the city, as it serves as a major regional freight hub as well as a major passenger stop.

This facility has a waiting room and is staffed by Amtrak employees.

Greensboro is served by eight daily trains.

ADA Compliance

Federal law requires compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by 2010. The following is a list of items typically required for transportation and public facilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please check the regulations for guidance or contact us for more information.