A separate mail building (freight depot) and boiler house were also constructed northeast of the station.

The facility is smaller than its predecessor station on 531 West Trade Street, which was a response to the dramatic decrease in passenger rail service of that time.

Drafted by Seaboard architects and constructed by A. M. Walkup Company of Richmond, Virginia; the facility was enlarged by adding one-story additions on both ends, a wide umbrella shed and facade changes.

[8][9] Built in 1886, the Richmond and Danville Depot was located on Trade Street on the east side of the downtown bypass tracks.

Eaves on nearly all sides of the station, it also had a high arch going over two tracks, connecting with the island platform canopy.

In November 1973, a Greyhound station was opened where the Southern Depot once stood, while unused land became car parking lots.

The rail line was electrified to 1,500 volts DC, connecting Charlotte to Mount Holly, Belmont and Gastonia.

The area remained dormant for decades, used on occasion for car parking and storage; in 2012, the land was redeveloped into the BB&T Ballpark[7][18][19][20] The station is served by three Amtrak routes, for a total of 12 trains daily.

[23] The facility is open 24 hours, which includes the ticket office, Quik-Trak kiosks, waiting area and restrooms.

The current station's exterior incorporates dark brown brick and large, angled concrete panels covered in pebble-dash.

Interspersed with these heavy, solid elements are transparent walls of glass, which—coupled with clerestory windows beneath the roof—allow ample natural light to flood the 1,200-square-foot (110 m2) waiting room.