SANBAG Property Acquisition, Depot Restoration Funding
As railways began converting their engines from steam to diesel fuel, a move that required smaller work crews, and as travel by automobile and airplane became increasingly popular, the railroad industry began downsizing. The 1960s saw the beginning of a reduction in workforce. Santa Fe turned over its passenger travel to Amtrak in 1972. In 1992, Santa Fe transferred most of its workers to Topeka and moved many switching operations to Barstow. Santa Fe’s focus is strictly freight service today.
In 1992, SANBAG acquired the depot and property from the railway as part of a larger property acquisition in preparation for Metrolink commuter rail service, which began operations in October 1992. Although Metrolink and Amtrak riders now use the train platforms, the depot itself has not been fully functional for many years.
In the mid-1990s, recognizing its history and the value of the depot as a community asset, SANBAG obtained cost estimates for the restoration of the 57,000 square foot structure. SANBAG and the City of San Bernardino began working to secure federal grant funds for this effort. The agencies secured $11.6 million in federal grants, the City of San Bernardino contributed $1.96 million, and SANBAG contributed $1.53 million for this $15.1 million project A portion ($456,976) of SANBAG’s local match is provided by Measure I. Work began in November 2002 after a ground-breaking ceremony on October 24 of that year.
Next: Restoration Details
For More Information
- Visit the Transtech Engineers project information website at www.sanbernardinosantafedepot.com
- View early photos of the Harvey House restaurant and other related historic photographs provided by the University of Arizona at http://digital.library.arizona.edu/harvey