Worcester | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | 2 Washington Square Worcester, Massachusetts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 42°15′40″N71°47′42″W / 42.26111°N 71.79500°W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Worcester Redevelopment Authority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | CSX Boston Subdivision / MBTA Worcester Main Line CSX Worcester Branch / P&W Gardner Branch P&W mainline P&W Norwich Branch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 1 side platform (Worcester Main Line) 2 unused island platforms (Worcester Branch) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 4 (Worcester Main) 2 (Worcester Branch) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Connections | WRTA: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33, 42 PVTA: B79 Greyhound, Peter Pan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parking | 300 short-term spaces | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Station code | Amtrak: WOR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fare zone | 8 (MBTA) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 1835 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rebuilt | 1875, 1909–1911, 1994–2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Passengers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FY 2022 | 5,068 annual boardings and alightings [1] (Amtrak) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2018 | 1,298 weekday average boardings [2] (MBTA) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Worcester Union Station | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Built by | Woodbury and Leighton Company, Boston [3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Architect | Watson & Huckel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Architectural style | Beaux Arts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Part of | Blackstone Canal Historic District (ID71000030) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NRHP reference No. | 80000617 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Significant dates | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Added to NRHP | 1980 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Designated CP | August 15, 1995 |
Union Station is a railway station located at Washington Square in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the western terminus of the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line and a stop for the Amtrak Lake Shore Limited service. A bus terminal adjacent to the station is the hub for Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) local bus service; it is also used by PVTA, Peter Pan, Greyhound intercity buses.
Worcester became a rail hub in the mid-19th century, with seven railroads serving the city:
All except the Western and the P&W used Foster Street station, located just north of Worcester Common.
A union station was constructed east of Washington Square in 1875. Designed by Ware & Van Brunt, it was modeled after a Roman basilica and featured a 212-foot (65 m)-tall clocktower. [5] Most railroads in southern New England were consolidated into three systems in the later 19th century. Long rivals, the B&W and Western merged in 1867 to form the Boston and Albany Railroad, which became part of the New York Central Railroad system in 1900. [4] : 191 The Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) acquired W&N successor Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad in 1886, and the Fitchburg Railroad system including the Boston, Barre and Gardner in 1900. [4] : 230, 243 The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad acquired the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad system including the P&W in 1892, the Old Colony Railroad system including the F&W in 1893, and the New York and New England Railroad system including the N&W in 1898. [4] : 126, 168
Construction of a new Union Station on the southwest side of Washington Square began in 1909 as part of a grade separation project. The new station opened on June 4, 1911. It was designed by Watson & Huckel in a French Renaissance Revival style. Two 175-foot (53 m)-tall towers of white marble flanked the main entrance. The main waiting room featured an elliptical arched roof with stained glass. The towers were removed in 1926 due to structural issues. [5]
Although primarily served by local trains, Worcester was also a stop for intercity services. On the B&A, these included the New England States and the Boston section of the Wolverine . Joint New Haven–B&M service between New York City and Maine ( Bar Harbor Express , Down Easter, East Wind , and State of Maine Express ) passed between the two railroads at Worcester.
Passenger service slowly declined during the 20th century. Local service to New London, Connecticut, on the N&W ended in 1928, though it resumed in 1952. Local service to Winchendon and Ayer ended in 1953, to Providence around 1957, and to Albany in 1960. New York–Maine intercity service also ended in 1960, leaving Worcester served by only a handful of Albany–Boston intercity trains and Worcester–Boston local trains on the B&A, plus a daily New London round trip. The New Haven and the New York Central merged into Penn Central in 1968-69.
Amtrak took over intercity service on May 1, 1971. The B&A intercity service (an unnamed successor to the New England States) and the New London trip were dropped, though the New Haven–Boston Bay State began operating through Worcester weeks later. [6] Amtrak and Penn Central abandoned the main station building, using a small side building as a ticket office. The last commercial tenant left Union Station in 1972, and the structure fell into disrepair. [5]
The Bay State was discontinued in May 1975. [6] Commuter rail service between Worcester and Framingham (with no intermediate stops after 1960) was not subsidized by the MBTA; with just ten riders per day riding from Worcester, service was cut back to Framingham on October 27, 1975. [7] [8] Amtrak began operating a Boston-Albany section of the Lake Shore Limited four days later. Amtrak constructed a small station building on the east side of Interstate 290 in 1975 or 1976. [5] Boston-New Haven (Inland Route) service was restored under the Bay State name in 1984, and ran in various forms until the early 2000s. [6]
The abandoned Union Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [5] Some peak-hour MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line service was extended to Worcester on September 26, 1994. Off-peak service was gradually added; weekend service began on December 14, 1996. [7] Union Station was acquired by the Worcester Redevelopment Authority in 1994 and completely renovated at a cost of $32 million. The station was restored and renovated by Finegold Alexander & Associates. The Grand Hall (the original waiting room), had its elliptical stained-glass ceilings, interior marble columns, and mahogany wood trim restored. Fiberglass towers were constructed to replace those removed in 1926. [9] [5] Amtrak and MBTA service began using Union Station on June 20, 2000. [7] [5]
An intercity and local bus terminal on the west side of the station, with five bus ports, was added at a cost of $5.2 million and opened in August 2006. [10] In April 2012, the Worcester Regional Transit Authority broke ground on a new regional transit hub adjacent to Union Station. The cost was $14 million, with $10 million coming from the Federal Government and the rest coming from the state. [11] [12] The new hub opened in May 2013. [13]
Luciano's Cotton Club, a 1920s gangster-themed restaurant, is located in the Grand Hall. [14] The Cannabis Control Commission established their state headquarters in Union Station in 2019. [15] Amtrak Thruway bus service between Worcester and New Bedford, Massachusetts, connecting with Amtrak trains at Providence, was added in 2023. [16] Worcester Union Station is a proposed intermediate station for East-West Rail, which would provide intercity passenger service between Boston and Pittsfield. [17]
Union Station is accessible and has a single high-level side platform several cars long. It is the only station on the line (other than the three limited-service Newton stations) that can only be served by one train at a time – all other stations have two side platforms or an island platform. This limits the number of daily trains that can serve Worcester, and causes frequent cascading delays. After years of discussion about adding a second platform and extending the side platform to full length, the MBTA approved a two-year, $4 million design contract in October 2018. [18]
Design reached 30% in August 2019. The 820-foot (250 m)-long island platform will have an accessible footbridge at its east end, and stairs and an elevator into a converted storage room to provide direct access from the station building. A crossover east of the station will also be built. [19] The full length of the new platform will have a canopy. [20] Construction is estimated to cost between $40 and $48 million. [21] A temporary platform east of the I-290 overpass will be used while the west half of the new platform is constructed; the west half will then be used while the east half is built. [22]
In October 2020, $29.3 million in federal funding for the project was announced. [23] A $44.4 million construction contract was approved on October 27, 2021. [24] Notice to proceed was given on November 29, 2021, with completion then expected in December 2023. [25] The temporary platform was constructed over the weekend of March 12–13, 2022, and entered service on March 14. [26] Construction was 40% complete by December 2022 and 70% complete by Novemeber 2023, with completion expected in May 2024. [27] [28]
South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan International Airport. Located at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street in Dewey Square, Boston, Massachusetts, the historic station building was constructed in 1899 to replace the downtown terminals of several railroads. Today, it serves as a major intermodal domestic transportation hub, with service to the Greater Boston region and the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. It is used by thousands of commuter rail and intercity rail passengers daily. Connections to the rapid transit Red Line and bus rapid transit Silver Line are made through the adjacent subway station.
North Station is a commuter rail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTA Commuter Rail lines – the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line – and the Amtrak Downeaster intercity service. The concourse is located under the TD Garden arena, with the platforms extending north towards drawbridges over the Charles River. The eponymous subway station, served by the Green Line and Orange Line, is connected to the concourse with an underground passageway.
The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over 394 mi (634 km) of track to 134 stations. It is operated under contract by Keolis, which took over operations on July 1, 2014, from the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR).
Forest Hills station is an intermodal transfer station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA rapid transit Orange Line and three MBTA Commuter Rail lines and is a major terminus for MBTA bus routes. It is located in Forest Hills, in the southern part of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Most Providence/Stoughton Line and Franklin/Foxboro Line trains, and all Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains, pass through the station without stopping.
South Attleboro station is an MBTA Commuter Rail Providence/Stoughton Line station in Attleboro, Massachusetts. It is located under Newport Avenue in the South Attleboro neighborhood, just north of the Rhode Island border. The station had two side platforms serving the two tracks of the Northeast Corridor, connected by a footbridge to a park-and-ride lot.
The Framingham/Worcester Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system runs west from Boston, Massachusetts to Worcester, Massachusetts through the MetroWest region, serving 17 station stops in Boston, Newton, Wellesley, Natick, Framingham, Ashland, Southborough, Westborough, Grafton, and Worcester. It is the third longest and third busiest line in the MBTA Commuter Rail system. Service on the line is a mix of local and express trains serving Worcester plus short-turn Framingham locals.
Providence station is a railroad station in Providence, Rhode Island, served by Amtrak and MBTA Commuter Rail. The station has four tracks and two island platforms for passenger service, with a fifth track passing through for Providence and Worcester Railroad freight trains. It is now the 11th busiest Amtrak station in the country, and the second-busiest on the MBTA Commuter Rail system outside of Boston.
The Providence/Stoughton Line is an MBTA Commuter Rail service in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, primarily serving the southwestern suburbs of Boston. Most service runs entirely on the Northeast Corridor between South Station in Boston and Providence station or Wickford Junction station in Rhode Island, while the Stoughton Branch splits at Canton Junction and terminates at Stoughton. It is the longest MBTA Commuter Rail line, and the only one that operates outside Massachusetts. The line is the busiest on the MBTA Commuter Rail system, with 17,648 daily boardings in an October 2022 count.
Union Station, also known as Walpole station, is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Walpole, Massachusetts. It is located at the crossing of the Franklin Branch and Framingham Secondary just west of downtown Walpole. The station has one side platform on the Franklin Branch serving the Franklin/Foxboro Line service. Unlike most MBTA stations, Walpole station is not accessible.
Haverhill station is an intercity and regional rail station located in downtown Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States. It is served by Amtrak's Downeaster service and the MBTA Commuter Rail Haverhill/Reading Line; it is the northern terminus of MBTA service. Haverhill is one of two major hubs for MVRTA local bus service; the Washington Square Transit Center is located 1⁄5 mile (0.32 km) east of the rail station.
Mansfield station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Located in downtown Mansfield, it serves the Providence/Stoughton Line. With 1,966 weekday boardings in a 2018 count, Mansfield is the third-busiest station on the system outside Boston.
Lansdowne station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves the Framingham/Worcester Line. Lansdowne is located next to the Massachusetts Turnpike in the Fenway–Kenmore neighborhood near Kenmore Square, below grade between Beacon Street and Brookline Avenue.
Lowell station, officially the Charles A. Gallagher Transit Terminal, is an intermodal transit station in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is located off Thorndike Street near the end of the Lowell Connector south of downtown Lowell. The station is the northern terminal of the MBTA Commuter Rail Lowell Line, with three garages for park and ride purposes. The Robert B. Kennedy Bus Transfer Center is the hub for Lowell Regional Transit Authority local bus service. The station complex is accessible, with elevators connecting the station building to the rail platform.
Newtonville station is a commuter rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line, located between the Massachusetts Turnpike and Washington Street at Newtonville Square in the village of Newtonville in Newton, Massachusetts. Stairway entrances are located on the bridges over the Turnpike at Walnut Street and Harvard Street. Newtonville station is not accessible; renovations for accessibility are planned.
Wellesley Square station is a commuter rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line, located just north of the MA 16-MA 135 intersection in downtown Wellesley, Massachusetts. It serves both walk-up and park-and-ride commuters, with a 224-space parking lot for the latter group. The station has low-level platforms and is not accessible.
Westborough station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Westborough, Massachusetts. It serves the Framingham/Worcester Line. It is located off Smith Parkway, west of the Westborough town center. The station consists of two side platforms serving the line's two tracks. Each side has a small mini-high platform for accessibility; an overhead ramp structure connects the two platforms.
The Fitchburg Intermodal Transportation Center is a regional rail and bus station located in downtown Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It is a stop on the MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line and a hub for Montachusett Regional Transit Authority local and intercity bus routes.
Framingham station is a historic Boston and Albany Railroad station located in downtown Framingham, Massachusetts. Designed by noted American architect H. H. Richardson, it was one of the last of the railroad stations he designed in the northeastern United States to be built. The station, built in 1884–85, served as a major stop on the B&A Main Line as well as a hub for branch lines to Milford, Mansfield, Fitchburg, and Lowell. After years of deterioration, the station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 as the Framingham Railroad Station, and restored a decade later.
Back Bay station is an intermodal passenger station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located just south of Copley Square in Boston's Back Bay and South End neighborhoods. It serves MBTA Commuter Rail and MBTA subway routes, and also serves as a secondary Amtrak intercity rail station for Boston. The present building, designed by Kallmann McKinnell & Wood, opened in 1987. It replaced the New Haven Railroad's older Back Bay station – which opened in 1928 as a replacement for an 1899-built station – as well as the New York Central's Huntington Avenue and Trinity Place stations which had been demolished in 1964.
Gardner station is a former station stop on the MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line, located in Gardner, Massachusetts. Passenger service to Union Station ran from 1851 until 1960, and commuter service also briefly ran from 1980 to 1986. Restoration of passenger service was considered in the early 2000s, but was rejected due to low cost-effectiveness.