 The former depot was demolished on December 18, 1956, and the near-complete station was put into service by the end of the month.It was dedicated on January 2, 1957, and the first transcontinental "Empire Builder" train to stop at Edmonds arrived on January 7, greeted by a crowd of 1,000 residents and civic leaders from across the region, including Secretary of State Earl Coe.In March 1970, Great Northern was merged with three other major railroads into the Burlington Northern Railroad, which continued to operate passenger service for one year.