Tacoma station (1984)
former Amtrak train station in Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma was an Amtrak train station in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It was served by Amtrak's Cascades and Coast Starlight lines. The building was constructed in 1984 to a standard design that Amtrak developed in the 1970s and used at locations throughout the country for the next two decades. The station was replaced by a new Amtrak facility at Tacoma Dome Station, an existing commuter rail and light rail hub, that opened in 2017; however, it was reopened 24 hours after closing due to the 2017 Washington train derailment on the new line to the new station. The station remained in service until the Point Defiance Bypass was reopened to Amtrak trains on November 18, 2021.
Construction
The station was constructed to replace Union Station, as the planned construction of the Tacoma Spur (Interstate 705) would remove its tracks, preventing passenger trains from accessing Union Station. Ground broke on the new station's building in 1983. It would cost $953,000 to construct using funds from the state government to reimburse the Burlington Northern Railroad for the retirement of Union Station and relocation of nearby tracks. Amtrak service began at the new station on June 14, 1984.
Description
The one-story building was constructed to design 75C of the Amtrak Standard Stations Program.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Tacoma station (1984)” as former Amtrak train station in Tacoma, Washington. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as former Amtrak train station in Tacoma, Washington. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3097823. Authority coordinates are 47.242, -122.421. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1984, 2017, 2021 and 1983.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Tacoma station (1984)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.