Portland Amtrak Station, commonly referred to as Portland Union Station, is the busiest Amtrak facility in Oregon, with 586,099 passengers in fiscal year 2025. Its Amtrak station code is PDX, which is also the IATA code of Portland International Airport; the two are separate places, and this page is about the railway station. It is likewise a different station from Portland, Maine, whose code is POR.
Rail activity here is consistent and varied, because three services call: a state-supported corridor service and two long-distance trains. The City of Portland owns the building, the platform, the track and the parking.
Portland — Live Arrivals & Departures
Updated 2 minutes ago · Times are localWhat is the location of Portland Amtrak Station
The station is in downtown Portland, on the northwest side of the city centre, and has been in continuous operation since it was built in 1896.
Address: 800 NW Sixth Avenue, Portland, OR 97209. The City of Portland has owned the station since the Portland Development Commission bought it, together with 31 acres of former rail yard, in 1987.
Its position near the city centre allows direct connections to TriMet buses and light rail, and to Tillamook County Transportation District coaches.
| Station: | Portland Station |
| Station Code: | PDX |
| Contact Number: | 1-800-872-7245 |
| Lost and Found: | Online Form |
| Police: | +1-800-331-0008 |
| Working Hours: | Waiting room daily 6:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M.; ticket office and passenger assistance 6:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. |
| Nearby Airport: | Portland International Airport (PDX) |
| Website: | https://www.amtrak.com/home |
| YouTube: | https://www.youtube.com/amtrak |
| Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/Amtrak/ |
| Instagram: | https://www.instagram.com/amtrak |
| X (Twitter): | https://www.twitter.com/amtrak |
| LinkedIn: | https://www.linkedin.com/company/amtrak |
| Pinterest: | https://www.pinterest.com/amtraktravels/ |
Portland Amtrak Station Layout Map
The station sits on the northwest side of downtown, and its 150-foot clock tower, carrying a four-sided Seth Thomas clock, makes it the easiest Amtrak building in the city to identify from a distance.
Google Maps labels it as Union Station. The blue and gold neon “Go by Train” and “Union Station” signs installed in 1948 are still operational and serve as the landmark at street level.
List of all Amtrak Stations.
Amtrak Routes and Schedule Information
Three Amtrak services operate through this station:
- Coast Starlight (Seattle ↔ Los Angeles)
- Empire Builder (Chicago ↔ Portland/Seattle)
- Amtrak Cascades (Vancouver, BC ↔ Eugene)
Together these give both corridor service up and down the Pacific Northwest and two long-distance routes, one south to California and one east to Chicago. Boarding gates close five minutes before departure time.
How to contact the Portland Amtrak Station
Station-level telephone contact is not provided; Amtrak handles enquiries centrally, although Portland does have a staffed ticket office on site.
- Phone: 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245)
- Website: www.amtrak.com
Amtrak’s customer service handles ticketing, baggage questions and reservations, while the station’s own ticket office is open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Services and Amenities available at Portland Amtrak Station
Facilities here are the most complete of any station on this page. Amtrak lists a ticket sales office, Quik-Trak kiosks, an ATM, an elevator, payphones, restrooms, vending machines, a Metropolitan Lounge and — unusually for its network — Amtrak Wi-Fi as available.
- A waiting hall with seating, open daily 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
- Restrooms, listed as available and accessible
- A staffed ticket office and Quik-Trak kiosks
- Amtrak Wi-Fi, which Amtrak lists as available at this station
- An elevator, an accessible platform and a wheelchair lift, plus a station wheelchair
- Checked baggage with assistance from Red Caps, daily 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
The layout prioritises movement through the main waiting hall, which was opened up between 1927 and 1930 by removing the cast iron columns and an entire mezzanine level, with Italian marble added to the walls and floor and dormers cut into the exterior to admit more natural light.
Station Arrivals and Departures
Arrival and departure information is displayed in the hall. Amtrak advises arriving at least 45 minutes before departure when checking baggage or needing ticketing or passenger assistance, and at least 30 minutes otherwise.
Because checked baggage closes at 10:00 p.m. and the waiting room at 11:00 p.m., late arrivals need to plan around the baggage counter rather than the building.
Services and Amenities available at PDX Amtrak Station
The station offers a functional set of services across long hours: waiting room 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., ticket office and passenger assistance 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., checked baggage 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Quik-Trak kiosks 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and the Metropolitan Lounge 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., every day.
Commercial amenities inside the building are limited to vending machines and the lounge, but the station stands in a downtown district of businesses and attractions, which is why Amtrak describes it as a good arrival point for the city.
Why choose the Portland Amtrak Station
Several factors support using this station: three services, a staffed ticket office for sixteen hours a day, checked baggage with Red Cap assistance, and direct light rail and bus connections at the door.
The architecture adds to that. Union Station was built in 1896 as part of the Northwest Pacific Terminal Company, owned jointly by the Northern Pacific, Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads, and its Romanesque and Queen Anne design was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. By 1922 every railroad passenger train serving Portland used it.
Parking and Transit Option for PDX Amtrak Station
Parking is available at the station for a fee, both same-day and overnight, according to Amtrak’s facility list. Its hours table, however, records parking as closed every day, so the two Amtrak listings contradict each other and this page quotes no rate.
Designated drop-off and pick-up zones serve the Sixth Avenue frontage, and the station’s own lot is owned by the City of Portland.
Public Transportation Options
Several transit systems connect directly to the station:
- MAX Light Rail: connects the station with the airport and the wider city
- TriMet buses: cover downtown and the surrounding neighbourhoods
- Rideshare: operates throughout Portland, with pick-up on the Sixth Avenue frontage
- Taxis: available at the station entrances
That integrated network means the station can be reached without a car from most of the metropolitan area, which is unusual among the stations covered on this site.
Food availability at or near the station
Inside the station, food is limited to the vending machines Amtrak lists, together with the Metropolitan Lounge for eligible passengers; Amtrak records no restaurant on the premises.
The surrounding downtown district carries a wide range of dining, but this page names no business, price or opening hour, because none of that can be verified from Amtrak’s sources.
Hotels Near the Station
Amtrak publishes no list of affiliated or recommended hotels for Portland, Oregon, and this page names none. The verified points about the setting are these:
- Amtrak publishes no affiliated lodging list for Portland, Oregon, so hotels must be researched separately
- The station stands in downtown Portland, in a district of businesses and attractions, with MAX Light Rail at the door
- Portland International Airport is reachable from the station by MAX Light Rail, which is the practical link between the station code PDX and the airport code PDX
Proximity to both transit and the city centre is the station’s practical advantage for an overnight visitor, rather than any affiliated accommodation.
FAQs
The station is in downtown Portland at 800 NW Sixth Avenue, on the northwest side of the city centre, so central destinations are reachable on foot or by MAX Light Rail from the door.
Amtrak lists same-day and overnight parking at the station for a fee, but its hours table records parking as closed every day. The two Amtrak listings contradict each other, so charges should be confirmed on arrival. The City of Portland owns the lot.
Three services: the Coast Starlight between Seattle and Los Angeles, the Empire Builder between Chicago and Portland or Seattle, and Amtrak Cascades between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Eugene.
Amtrak advises at least 45 minutes before departure when checking baggage or needing ticketing or passenger assistance, and at least 30 minutes otherwise. Boarding gates close five minutes before departure time.
Yes. MAX Light Rail and TriMet buses serve the station directly, Tillamook County Transportation District coaches also call, and taxis and rideshare operate from the entrances.