Union Station a part of MGM's plan for Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Springfield’s Union Station will play a role in MGM Resorts International’s plan to build a casino in the city.

MGM has announced that under their plan, the company’s regional corporate office and regional training institute for new employees will be located in the transportation center, which will soon undergo a multi-million restoration project.

“The minute we first set foot in that building, we knew this was a place where we had to be,” MGM Springfield President Bill Hornbuckle said in a statement sent to 22News. “We fell in love with the history and architecture, as well as the opportunity to help revitalize passenger rail service in Springfield.”

MGM is proposing an $800 million resort-style casino to be built along Main Street between Union and State Streets in the South End. They are one of at least four companies that have expressed an interest in developing a Springfield site, including Penn-National Gaming, Ameristar Casinos, and Hard Rock International.

Springfield’s historic Union Station, located on Frank B. Murray Street in the North End, has been vacant since 1973. Work to restore the station, which will serve as a rail hub and the area’s main bus terminal, is expected to begin in the spring of 2013.