The symmetrical Beaux Arts building, built of buff brick with limestone and granite trim, has a central pilaster over two entrances.

Planning for a new union station began in 1909, but the railroads and the city struggled to reach an agreement about whether to eliminate grade crossings.

Union Station is located at the west end of Main Street in downtown Burlington near the Lake Champlain waterfront.

It has been substantially renovated since its use as a station; the main floors are subdivided for use by tenants including art studios and other businesses, nonprofit organizations, and the Vermont Agency of Transportation.

[5] The original platforms and footbridge are no longer extant; a semicircular addition is located on the rear of the basement level, with a plaza on its roof.

[10] They were purchased by Main Street Landing to add "whimsy and fun" to the building and were installed in June 1997.

[15] The competing Vermont Central Railroad (VC) was completed between Burlington and White River Junction on December 25, 1849.

[17] A track continued through downtown from the VC station to reach the waterfront industries and the Lake Champlain ferries.

[27] The acquisition of the Rutland and other properties pushed the VC into bankruptcy in 1873; it emerged as the Central Vermont Railroad (CV).

[31][32][33] The CV took control of the Burlington and Lamoille in 1889; it continued to use the former Rutland station as maintenance shops for several years.

[40] The work also included replacement of the original brick arches of the trainshed with modern supports, and construction of a spur track for the Burlington Traction Company that allowed streetcars to load from the south portion of the new platform.

[41] Construction began on July 3, 1895; the new waiting rooms opened in December, with the platform canopies completed in early 1896.

The Rutland was separated on May 7 and entered control of the D&H (which owned the majority of its stock), though it continued to use the CV station in Burlington.

[44] The Rutland immediately moved to build the long-planned Rutland–Canadian Railroad (Island Line) between Burlington and Rouses Point, New York, with a branch to Noyan, Quebec.

[47][48] The 1867-built station, which had been built by the CV primarily for Essex Junction–Burlington shuttle trains, proved inadequate for the increased traffic of the Rutland and its 1901 extension plus the Burlington and Lamoille.

[52] The two railroads disagreed about numerous facets of the project; the CV wanted to elevate the tracks to eliminate several grade crossings, which the Rutland opposed.

[53] The commission chairman remarked in August that the results of the proceedings up to that point were "about on par with a man dragging a cat by the tail across a carpet.

[57] In February 1912, local engineer Frank O. Sinclair presented a new proposal, created at the request of a city committee.

[66] In April, the Vermont Supreme Court modified the 1912 public service commission order, allowing the new plan to go forward.

[69] After delays during negotiations, some related to rising steel prices due to the outbreak of war in Europe, the contract was awarded to W.S.

Only two daily round trips continued to operate on the line: a Burlington–Boston through sleeping car on the New Englander, and the Burlington–Cambridge Junction mixed train on the B&L.

[95][8] The Burlington–Cambridge Junction mixed train was cut on June 17, 1938, ending CV passenger service to Burlington.

[109] Part of the building was converted to serve as a homeless service center; other portions were rented out as studios, political campaign offices, and other uses.

[108][110] In 1992, Main Street Landing proposed a new version of its waterfront development plans, including renovation of Union Station for use as shops and office space.

Located at the basement level with a street-level plaza on its roof, the expansion was intended to serve as a train station for planned commuter rail service.

[112][113] A new platform behind Union Station was constructed in 2000 for the Champlain Flyer commuter rail service, which began operation between Burlington and Charlotte on December 4, 2000.

[115] Even before the Ethan Allen Express began service to Rutland in 1996, state planners intended to extend the train to Burlington.

[117][118][119] In June 2019, the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission recommended Union Station as the location where Amtrak trains would lay over and be serviced overnight.

[120] After nearby residents objected to having the locomotive idle there, VTrans indicated in March 2020 that the Vermont Railway yard to the south would instead be modified to accommodate the train.

[123] Potential future Ethan Allen Express service expansions include a second daily trip to Burlington (using a different route between Albany and Rutland) and an extension to Essex Junction to provide a connection with the Vermonter (after the planned re-extension of the latter to Montreal).