John W. Olver Transit Center

Last updated
John W. Olver Transit Center
Greenfield, MA
John W. Olver Transit Center in Greenfield, Massachusetts.jpg
View of Olver Transit Center from Olive Street
General information
Location12 Olive Street
Greenfield, Massachusetts
United States
Coordinates 42°35′09″N72°36′02″W / 42.58583°N 72.60056°W / 42.58583; -72.60056
Owned by Franklin Regional Transit Authority
Line(s) Connecticut River Line
Platforms1
Tracks2
Train operators Amtrak
Bus stands5
Connections
Construction
Parking39 short-term spaces
Bicycle facilities16 bike rack spaces
AccessibleYes
ArchitectCharles Rose Architects
Other information
Station code Amtrak: GFD
History
OpenedMay 7, 2012 [1]
Rail service: December 29, 2014 [2]
Passengers
FY 20228,927 [3] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Northampton
toward New Haven
Valley Flyer Terminus
Northampton Vermonter Brattleboro
toward St. Albans
Former Services
Preceding station Boston and Maine Railroad Following station
West Deerfield
toward Troy
Boston – Troy East Deerfield
toward Boston
Deerfield
toward Springfield
Springfield - White River Junction Bernardston
Location
John W. Olver Transit Center

The John W. Olver Transit Center, also called the JWO Transit Center, is an intermodal transit hub for Franklin County, Massachusetts. Located in Greenfield, it currently serves Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) local bus routes plus intercity bus service. Amtrak's Greenfield station is also located here, with one daily Vermonter round trip and two daily Valley Flyer round trips, which are extensions of Amtrak-run Hartford Line trains.

Contents

Named after long-time western Massachusetts congressman John Olver, the hub is the first zero net energy transit center in the United States. [1] Built with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, the facility was constructed with solar panels, geothermal wells, copper heat screens and other energy efficient technologies. It houses the FRTA offices and the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, the successor organization to the Franklin County county government.

Amenities

Passenger amenities available at the JWO Transit Center are an indoor waiting area, rest rooms, public WiFi service and bicycle racks. [1] Short-term parking is available for a limited number of vehicles and long-term parking is available one block away at the city lot located on Hope Street.

Services

Local and regional bus services

All FRTA fixed route bus routes connect at JWO Transit Center.

Intercity bus service

Greyhound offer limited bus service from the Olver Transit Center; Greyhound provides a single round trip per day from Brattleboro and White River Junction to Springfield and New York City via Greenfield.

Amtrak

Amtrak's north–south Vermonter service stops daily in the afternoon along with two roundtrip Valley Flyer trains in the morning and night hours. [4] The Amtrak boarding platform, which is handicapped accessible, is located behind the transit center building. A waiting area is available inside the building for passengers, but Amtrak tickets are not available for purchase at the JWO Transit Center. [5]

Railroad history

The Boston and Maine Railroad station in Greenfield around 1916 Boston and Maine R.R. Station, Greenfield, Mass.jpg
The Boston and Maine Railroad station in Greenfield around 1916

The Connecticut River Railroad (CRRR) opened to passenger service between Springfield and Northampton in late 1845; trains reached Deerfield in August 1846, Greenfield in December 1847, and the junction with the Central Vermont Railway in January 1849. When the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad reached Brattleboro in 1850, the Connecticut River Railroad began running through service from Springfield to Brattleboro. [6] Service east from Greenfield to Boston was started by the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad in 1851, and was extended west to Troy, New York through the Hoosac Tunnel in 1875.

The CRRR was host to a mix of local and long-distance passenger and freight service. It became part of the route for crack New York-Montreal trains as early as the 1860s, and was acquired by the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1893. The Fitchburg Railroad was similarly acquired six years later. [6] Under the Boston and Maine, Greenfield was an important local rail hub for the next century.

The former Boston and Maine passenger station was situated on the east side of the Connecticut River Line tracks slightly north of the JWO Transit Center. The station was torn down in April 1966 after many years of being abandoned and due to neglect. The town council voted to tear down the station due to the threat to public safety. The former lot was vacant for many years at the end of Miles Street until the Greenfield Energy Park was opened.

Service between Greenfield and Troy was discontinued in 1958, and all service east to Boston ended in 1960. Long-distance passenger service over the Connecticut River Line ended on September 6, 1966 with the discontinuing of the Pennsylvania Railroad and New Haven's earlier version of the Montrealer. Local service between Springfield and Brattleboro lasting until the end of the year. The Boston and Maine then maintained a Greenfield-Springfield shuttle, then connecting with New Haven RR trains bound for New York City. The Greenfield-Springfield shuttle would also be terminated before the end of 1967. [7] [8] [9] [6] In 1972, Amtrak began running the Montrealer, which ran along the line at night, stopping at Northampton but not Holyoke or Greenfield. [10] The Montrealer was discontinued in 1987 due to poor track conditions on the line.

Service resumed in 1989 after Amtrak seized control of the line in Vermont from the Boston and Maine Railroad, but the train was rerouted over the Central Vermont Railway through Massachusetts and Connecticut to avoid the still-dilapidated Connecticut River Line which Amtrak did not control. A stop was added at Amherst to replace Northampton. The Montrealer was replaced by the daytime Vermonter in 1995, using the original route through Connecticut but still avoiding the Connecticut River Line in Massachusetts. [6]

Restoration of service

Passengers waiting for the arrival of Amtrak's Vermonter Waiting for the train at the Olver Transit Center.jpg
Passengers waiting for the arrival of Amtrak's Vermonter

In order to shorten travel times on the Vermonter and add additional local service to serve the populated Connecticut River Valley, the Connecticut River Line was rebuilt with $73 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money and $10 million in state funds. [11]

Construction of an accessible station platform at the Olver Transit Center was to have begun in early 2014 and been largely finished when passenger service began; however, construction was delayed. [12] A temporary accessible wooden platform was completed for the start of Vermonter service on December 29, 2014. [13] [14]

On August 30, 2019, Amtrak extended two daily Hartford Line round trips (branded as Valley Flyer) to Greenfield as a pilot program. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston and Maine Railroad</span> Former railroad in New England

The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pioneer Valley Transit Authority</span>

The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) oversees and coordinates public transportation in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, offering fixed-route bus service, paratransit service, and senior van service. PVTA was created by Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws in 1974. Based in Springfield, Massachusetts, PVTA serves Hampden and Hampshire counties, and provides connecting service to CTtransit in Hartford County, Connecticut, to FRTA in Franklin County, and to WRTA in Worcester County. It is the largest regional transit authority, and second largest public transit system in Massachusetts after the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, providing service to over 11 million riders annually across 24 municipalities in the region, with about 70% of all riders using the system as their primary mode of transit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Station (New Haven)</span> Railroad station in Connecticut

New Haven Union Station is the main railroad passenger station in New Haven, Connecticut. It is the third such station in the city of New Haven, preceded by both an 1848 built station in a different location, and an 1879 built station near the current station's location. Designed by noted American architect Cass Gilbert, the present beaux-arts Union Station was completed and opened in 1920 after the previous Union Station was destroyed by fire. It served the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad for the next five decades, but fell into decline following World War II along with the United States railroad industry as a whole.

<i>Vermonter</i> (train) Amtrak passenger train in the northeast United States

The Vermonter is a passenger train operated by Amtrak between St. Albans, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., via New York City. It replaced the overnight Montrealer, which terminated in Montreal until 1995. Amtrak receives funding from the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont for Vermonter operations north of New Haven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield Union Station (Massachusetts)</span> Train station in Springfield, Massachusetts, US

Springfield Union Station is a train and bus station in the Metro Center area of Springfield, Massachusetts. Constructed in 1926, Springfield Union Station is the fifth-busiest Amtrak station in the Commonwealth, and the busiest outside of Greater Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amherst station (Massachusetts)</span> Former railway station in Amherst, Massachusetts, US

Amherst is a former intercity rail station located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The station was built by the Amherst and Belchertown Railroad in 1853; it was served by the Central Vermont Railway until 1947. Amtrak service began in 1989 with the Montrealer; it was replaced by the Vermonter in 1995. The station was closed on December 28, 2014, when the Vermonter was rerouted to the faster Connecticut River Line to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Station (Brattleboro, Vermont)</span> Railway station in Brattleboro, Vermont

Union Station is an Amtrak intercity rail station located in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont, United States. It is served by the one daily round trip of the Vermonter service. Most of the 1915-built station is occupied by the 1972-opened Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, while Amtrak uses a waiting room on the lower floor. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellows Falls station</span> Railroad station in Bellows Falls, Vermont, US

Bellows Falls station is an Amtrak intercity rail station located in the Bellows Falls village of Rockingham, Vermont, United States. The station is served by the single daily round trip of the Washington, D.C.–St. Albans Vermonter. It has a single side platform adjacent to the single track of the New England Central Railroad mainline.

<i>Hartford Line</i> (Amtrak) Amtrak service between Springfield, MA and New Haven, CT

The Hartford Line is a train service run by Amtrak primarily between Springfield, Massachusetts, and New Haven, Connecticut, along Amtrak's New Haven–Springfield Line.

The Connecticut River Railroad was a railroad located along the Connecticut River in western Massachusetts, formed in 1845 from the merger of two unfinished railroads. Its main line from Springfield to East Northfield, Massachusetts, opened in stages between 1845 and 1849. It built several branches and over the years acquired additional lines in Vermont. The railroad was acquired by the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1893.

National Railroad Passenger Corporation v. Boston & Maine Corp., 503 U.S. 407 (1992), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, could condemn railroad property from Boston and Maine Railroad and convey it to another railroad in order to continue passenger rail service over that route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Corridor Rail Line</span>

The Central Corridor Rail Line was a proposed passenger service route between New London, Connecticut, and Brattleboro, Vermont. A primary purpose of the proposed service was to provide a rail link between state flagship schools UConn, UMass Amherst, and UVM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Station (Northampton, Massachusetts)</span>

Union Station is a historic building in Northampton, Massachusetts, that served as a train station from 1897 until 1987. Built at the close of the nineteenth century, the structure incorporates many features of the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style. The buff brick masses of the station are trimmed with red Longmeadow brownstone and hooded by red tile roofs. Steep dormers protrude from the roofline. The interior once featured Italian marble floors, oak woodwork, and a large fireplace.

The Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) is a regional transit authority which provides public transportation principally to Franklin County and the North Quabbin region, both in Massachusetts. The FRTA is based in the county seat of Greenfield, Massachusetts.

<i>Montrealer</i> (train) Passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York City and Montreal, Canada

The Montrealer was an overnight passenger train between Washington, D.C., United States, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The train was operated from 1924 to 1966, and again under Amtrak from 1972 to 1995, excepting two years in the 1980s. The train was discontinued in 1995 and replaced by the Vermonter, which provides daytime service as far north as St. Albans, Vermont. Current Amtrak service to Montreal is provided by the daytime Adirondack from New York City via Albany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holyoke station</span> Train station in Massachusetts, U.S.

Holyoke station is an Amtrak intercity train station near the corner of Main and Dwight streets in Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States. The station opened on August 27, 2015, eight months after Amtrak's Vermonter service was re-routed to the Connecticut River Line through the Pioneer Valley.

Transportation in New England encompasses the region's rail and highway networks, seaports, and airports. New England has one of the United States' oldest intercity transportation systems, which remain important to the region's economy. It is also home to the continent's first subway system. The densely populated area has many cities and towns connected by rail and road, and the larger cities each have commercial airports with daily flights to destinations outside of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut River Line</span> Railway line in the United States of America

The Connecticut River Line is a railroad line owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), running between Springfield and East Northfield, Massachusetts.

<i>Connecticut Yankee</i> (train)

The Connecticut Yankee was a long-distance train in western New England, that in its first two decades was an international night train, established in 1936, that extended from New York City into southeastern Quebec, to Sherbrooke and Quebec City, a 549-mile (884 km) trip. The pooled train covered railroad territories of the New York, New Haven and Hartford, Boston and Maine, Canadian Pacific Railway and the Quebec Central Railway. It was the last U.S.-Canadian train serving the Sherbrooke to eastern Vermont route.

<i>Valley Flyer</i> (Amtrak train)

The Valley Flyer is a train service run by Amtrak between New Haven, Connecticut and Greenfield, Massachusetts along Amtrak's New Haven–Springfield Line and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's Connecticut River Line.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "JWO Transit Center". Franklin Regional Transit Authority. Archived from the original on 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
  2. Kinney, Jim (December 29, 2014). "Amtrak Vermonter makes first Knowledge Corridor run in Springfield, Northampton and Greenfield". Springfield Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-12-29.
  3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: Commonwealth of Massachusetts" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  4. "Vermonter and Valley Flyer Schedule" (PDF). Amtrak. November 11, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  5. Contrada, Fred (January 13, 2015). "Greenfield celebration of Amtrak service takes a sharp turn into protest". The Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 163–169, 173–175. ISBN   0942147022.
  7. Official Guide of the Railways, December 1966, Boston and Maine section, Table 1
  8. Official Guide of the Railways, September 1967, Boston and Maine section
  9. Waite, Thornton (Winter 2017). "The Montrealer/ The Washingtonian". The Keystone. 50 (4): 31–77. ISSN 0744-4036
  10. Amtrak (October 26, 1986). "Amtrak National Train Timetables". Museum of Railway Timetables. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
  11. Merzbach, Scott (February 16, 2014). "Pioneer Valley Business 2014: Development hopes ride on expanded rail". Gazette Net. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
  12. Fritz, Anita (February 4, 2014). "Train platform will have access from Olive Street, transportation center". The Recorder. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
  13. Fritz, Anita (October 5, 2014). "Temporary platform on track". The Recorder. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
  14. "Construction on track for railroad platform". The Recorder. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-28.
  15. "Amtrak and MASSDOT Announce Start of New Valley Flyer Train Service in Western and Northern Massachusetts" (Press release). Amtrak. August 27, 2019.