从寺庙到交通运输——1933-1972年

大萧条，1937年洪水和联合车站

The reality that 结合终端 was born into was far different than her builders had dreamed of six years before. 大萧条重创了铁路行业, 乘火车旅行的人数也在下降. Some wondered whether building such a massive structure had in fact been wise and some even labeled the building a white elephant. 尽管它的开幕大张旗鼓, 在最初的几年里，联合航站楼绝对是安静的.

Higher than average rainfall along the Ohio River and its tributaries in January 1937 set the stage for Cincinnati’s highest and most disastrous flood. 到1月26日, 这条河的最高水位达到令人难以置信的80英尺, 汉密尔顿县约45平方英里的区域被淹没, 超过61个,有1万名居民无家可归.

Efforts had been made from the very start of the terminal project to make the facility safe from Millcreek Valley flooding by raising the tracks and other facilities above the level of the highest previous recorded flood. 1937年的洪水把码头变成了一座孤岛. 霍普金斯大学街, 肯纳街和弗里曼大道, 以及通往航站楼广场的整个入口, 在洪水高峰时被淹没了吗. 但即使在80英尺高的地方，航站楼本身也基本上是高而干燥的. Flooding on the lower levels of the building did not affect the tracks and platforms and other passenger facilities in the building.

在洪水的高峰期, 联合终点站仍然有南方铁路的列车, although electricity for lights and switches had to be provided by portable generators. 三条铁路(宾夕法尼亚，B&O, and New York Central) continued their operations from suburban stations during the flood, 而C&O, L&N和诺福克 & 西部铁路最终被迫停止了所有的火车. Passengers coming into the station by Southern Railroad had to be taken to the Fourth Street Station by a C&O穿梭列车.

第二次世界大战期间的联合车站

联合航站楼很快就成为皇后城的一颗明珠. Everything from post cards to advertisements used 结合终端’s iconic architecture as a backdrop. But 结合终端 would not be relegated to the role of scenic background for advertisers. As war loomed in Europe, the United States began preparing for the possibility of war. 1941年6月, the first Troops in Transit Lounge of the United Service Organizations (USO) opened in 结合终端 to care for the increasing number of troops travelling by rail. 在美国加入二战之后, 通过联合航站楼大楼的部队数量激增, 达到了战争时期的峰值34岁,1944年，每天有1000人死亡. By war’s end, the facility had served millions of troops, service personnel and their families.

第二次世界大战结束后，乘火车旅行的人数急剧下降. As airlines and highways took over as the primary means of travel in the United States, 通过联合车站的火车越来越少. By 1972, 当联合航站楼作为火车站关闭时, only two trains per day were passing through a station designed to handle 216 trains per day.