It was located on South Rampart Street, in front of the current New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal.

The station was used primarily by the Illinois Central Railroad as the terminus for its main line from Chicago, including the celebrated Panama Limited.

Before the Huey P. Long Bridge was constructed, the Sunset and other Southern Pacific trains reached the station by ferry from Avondale.

Union Station was a three-story hip-roofed structure with a cupola, including office and waiting areas, with a broad portico with central columns and arched entryways at each end of the entrance.

The station was demolished in 1954 and replaced by the current New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal that consolidated the inter-city railroad services.