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Union Station (Worcester, Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
Union Station is located at Washington Square in downtown in Worcester, Massachusetts
. The station was originally built in 1911 during the heyday of railroading in the United States as a replacement for the previous one of 1875. It was abandoned in 1975 and fell into disrepair. It was acquired by the Worcester Redevelopment Authority and completely renovated at a cost of $32 million under the leadership of former Mayor Raymond Mariano
. The renovated station opened in July 2000. An intercity and local bus terminal, with five bus ports, was added at a cost of $5.2 million and opened in August 2006. Despite this, of the eleven Amtrak stations in Massachusetts, Worcester ranked 10th in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 20 passengers daily - slightly less than the city of Pittsfield, Massachusetts
. By contrast, in FY2010, the comparable city of Springfield, Massachusetts
boarded or detrained approximately 360 passengers per day. By 2015, Springfield will feature one of the United States' first two high-speed train terminals; currently, there is talk about extending the service to Worcester and points east.
Union Station's facilities include:
There are a number of parking options adjacent to Union Station. The newest is the Union Station Parking Garage, completed in July 2008, which has 500 spaces and direct access to the station. Few actually choose to use the new garage due to its high rates and most seek alternative options in the area.
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
. The station was originally built in 1911 during the heyday of railroading in the United States as a replacement for the previous one of 1875. It was abandoned in 1975 and fell into disrepair. It was acquired by the Worcester Redevelopment Authority and completely renovated at a cost of $32 million under the leadership of former Mayor Raymond Mariano
Raymond Mariano
Raymond V. Mariano , better known as Ray Mariano, is the current Executive Director of the Worcester Housing Authority. Prior to his service as Executive Director of the WHA, Ray served as Mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts....
. The renovated station opened in July 2000. An intercity and local bus terminal, with five bus ports, was added at a cost of $5.2 million and opened in August 2006. Despite this, of the eleven Amtrak stations in Massachusetts, Worcester ranked 10th in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 20 passengers daily - slightly less than the city of Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
. By contrast, in FY2010, the comparable city of Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
boarded or detrained approximately 360 passengers per day. By 2015, Springfield will feature one of the United States' first two high-speed train terminals; currently, there is talk about extending the service to Worcester and points east.
Union Station's facilities include:
- Western terminus of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation AuthorityMassachusetts Bay Transportation AuthorityThe Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
's Framingham/Worcester commuter railMBTA Commuter RailThe MBTA Commuter Rail serves as the regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the United States. It is operated under contract by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company a joint partnership of Veolia Transportation, Bombardier Transportation and Alternate...
line, with inbound service to Back Bay and South Station in Boston - A stop on AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Lake Shore LimitedLake Shore LimitedThe Lake Shore Limited is a daily passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. The train runs between Chicago and Albany, NY, where it divides into two sections that provide thru-service to New York and Boston...
Boston section to/from Albany, New YorkAlbany, New YorkAlbany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
with connections to Chicago (formerly also the Regionals Inland RouteNew Haven-Springfield LineThe New Haven–Springfield Line or Hartford Line is a railroad line owned by Amtrak from New Haven, Connecticut north to Springfield, Massachusetts. As a branch of the Northeast Corridor at New Haven, it is served by approximately seven daily Regional round trips, some continuing from New Haven to...
) - Intercity (Peter Pan Bus LinesPeter Pan Bus LinesPeter Pan Bus Lines is a long-distance bus carrier headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. It operates in the northeastern United States. Over four million passengers per year travel on Peter Pan's bus routes....
, Greyhound Bus Lines) and local Worcester Regional Transit AuthorityWorcester Regional Transit AuthorityWorcester Regional Transit Authority is a public, non-profit organization charged with providing public transportation to the city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the surrounding towns. The WRTA was created in September 1974 under Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws...
(WRTA) bus service - Staffed ticket windows, small concession and vending area, restrooms, enclosed well-lit waiting area
- Free Wi-FiWi-FiWi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
- Grand Hall, with original elliptical stained-glass ceilings, interior marble columns and mahogany wood trim
- Luciano's Cotton Club - a 1920's gangster-themed restaurant
There are a number of parking options adjacent to Union Station. The newest is the Union Station Parking Garage, completed in July 2008, which has 500 spaces and direct access to the station. Few actually choose to use the new garage due to its high rates and most seek alternative options in the area.
Nearby Worcester attractions
- Mechanics HallMechanics Hall, WorcesterMechanics Hall is a Concert Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was built in 1857 in the Renaissance Revival style and restored in 1977. Built as part of the early nineteenth-century worker's improvement movement, it is now a concert and performing arts venue ranked as one of the top four...
, a concert hall listed among top 12 in Europe and America, top 4 in America - DCU CenterDCU CenterThe DCU Center is an indoor arena and convention center complex, located in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts....
- Worcester Art MuseumWorcester Art MuseumThe Worcester Art Museum, also known by its acronym WAM, houses over 35,000 works of art dating from antiquity to the present day, representing cultures from all over the world. The WAM opened in 1898 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and is the second largest art museum in New England...
- The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts
Accessibility
- Worcester Station is wheelchair accessible and has a full length high level platform.
- Only selected MBTA commuter rail stations have wheelchair access and most of those have short elevated platforms that only serve one or two cars on the western end of the train. South Station is the only other station on this commuter rail line that has full length high level platforms. (See MBTA accessibilityMBTA accessibilityPhysical accessibility on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority system is incomplete but improving, with accessibility on all buses , all Orange Line stations, all but 2 Red Line stations, and all but 2 Blue Line stations...
.) - Contact Amtrak for accessibility information at other stations.
See also
- North Station, proposed extension of the Fitchburg LineFitchburg LineThe Fitchburg Line is an MBTA line that runs from Boston's North Station to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. It is one of the...
may link Worcester. - Springfield Union Station (Massachusetts)
- High-speed rail in Canada, Montreal–Boston.
- Northern New England CorridorNorthern New England CorridorThe Northern New England Corridor is one of ten Federally designated high-speed rail corridors in the United States. If the 489-mile corridor were completed as proposed, 110-mph passenger trains would travel from Boston, Massachusetts, to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 4 hours and 31 minutes, and...
, rough outline of the proposed Montreal–Boston
- Northern New England Corridor