Nineteenth-century railroad companies built grandiose “bourgeois cathedrals” as a sign of their wealth and railroading status. Later, many cities built “Union Stations,” often even more grandiose, to serve as interchange points between trains of different companies. Perhaps the newest of the great old stations is Los Angeles Union Station, built in the 1930s in the Mission Revival style of California, although other famous old stations still operate in Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Washington, D.C.
With the decline of railroading, many stations have been abandoned or used for other purposes, and some have even been torn down, the most notable victim being the original Pennsylvania Station in New York City. Grandiose, ornate old railroad stations were often replaced by relatively simple, boring buildings that served only a minimum of function, derisively called “barns.” Nevertheless, the worst years seem to have passed, and many great old stations have been painstakingly restored and train service restored, with some notable examples of restored stations being Cincinnati, Denver, Kansas City, St. Paul, and Seattle stations. Some impressive new stations have even been built, such as the Transbay terminal replacement in San Francisco.
In many cities, many stations also serve as bus stations for various intercity bus lines, as well as hub stations for local city buses served by a city or county government. “Bus stations” can be a series of bus stops lined up on the street or streets outside the train station, on a lot or other building next to the train station with ticket booths for bus companies inside the station or bus. building of the train station in the neighborhood. Several train stations are also connected to the local urban railroad, but many systems were not designed with the train station as the central hub, and so access can sometimes be inconvenient. Denver and Los Angeles Union Station are prime examples of train stations serving as local urban rail hubs.