Creston station

Creston, IA
The historic station in 2012
General information
Location	Pine Avenue and Adams Street Creston, Iowa United States
Coordinates	41°03′25″N 94°21′41″W / 41.0570°N 94.3614°W / 41.0570; -94.3614
Owned by	City of Creston
Platforms	1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: CRN
History
Opened	1899
Rebuilt	1969, 2019
Passengers
FY 2023	2,106[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Omaha toward Emeryville California Zephyr Osceola toward Chicago
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Omaha toward Los Angeles Desert Wind Discontinued in 1997 Osceola toward Chicago Omaha toward Seattle Pioneer Discontinued in 1997 Preceding station Burlington Route Following station Omaha toward Denver Main Line Afton toward Chicago Omaha toward Oakland California Zephyr Ottumwa toward Chicago Kent toward St. Joseph St. Joseph – Creston Terminus Spaulding toward Cumberland Cumberland Branch
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad-Creston Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Built	1899
Architect	Burnham and Root
NRHP reference No.	73000739[2]
Added to NRHP	August 15, 1973

Creston station is an Amtrak intercity train station in Creston, Iowa. The station is served by the Chicago–San Francisco Bay Area California Zephyr. Constructed by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) and opened in 1899, the station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad-Creston Station. Amtrak moved to the historic station in 2019 from a small station immediately to its east that had been used since 1969. Creston station is also used by the city of Creston as a city hall and community center, known as the Creston Municipal Complex.

The station was built by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) in 1899 for $75,000.^[3] The Chicago architectural firm of Burnham and Root, who designed many of the CB&Q's stations, designed this station as well.^[4] Creston was a division headquarters, therefore all of the railroad's business in southwest Iowa operated from here. It also housed the office of the Master Carpenter, who oversaw all section and bridge work for the division, and the office of the trainmaster, who oversaw the switching and forming of trains in the Creston yards. In addition to the CB&Q mainline, two branch lines originated from here, and another railroad operated from the depot as well.^[3] Creston also had various maintenance shops and contained a roundhouse; both have since been demolished or destroyed by a tornado.^[5]: 91

With passenger rail service in the United States declining rapidly in the 1960s, the large Creston station was deemed too expensive to maintain. In 1969, the CB&Q built a small brick and steel depot to the east of the original station which was later used by Amtrak after its creation in 1971.^[5]: 110 The original station was sold to the city of Creston for $1.^[5]: 91

In 1970, Creston's mayor noted that the station would be a good site for a parking lot.^[6] Local residents launched a "Save the Depot Committee", gathering 700 letters of support,^[5]: 111 and voted for a bond to support its renovation.^[7] The station was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.^[2] With its future secure, the station was renovated and reopened in December 1978 with community rooms on the first floor and city government offices on the second floor.^{[8][5]: 111}

In 2017, Amtrak signed a 20-year lease with Creston for use of the historic station. Following $1.3 million in improvements including making its waiting room accessible, Amtrak relocated to it on August 1, 2019; the nearby platforms of the 1969 station remain in use.^{[9][10][11][7]}

Media related to Creston Burlington depot at Wikimedia Commons

• Creston, IA – Amtrak
• Creston, IA – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Creston Amtrak Stations (USA RailGuide – TrainWeb)