Union Station

New Haven Amtrak inter-city rail station Metro-North New Haven Line commuter rail station Shore Line East commuter rail station
Station statistics
Address	50 Union Avenue New Haven, CT 06519
Coordinates	41°17′51″N 72°55′36″W / 41.297532°N 72.926559°W / 41.297532; -72.926559
Lines	Amtrak:      Acela Express      Northeast Regional      New Haven-Springfield Shuttle      Vermonter ConnDOT:      Shore Line East      New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Commuter Rail (proposed) Metro-North:      New Haven Line
Connections	CT Transit New Haven: J, New Haven Commuter Connection (PM only) - Downtown, Sargent Drive, Union Station - Temple Street Shuttle Greyhound
Platforms	4
Tracks	16
Parking	The Union Station parking garage offers 24-hour parking at a rate of $1 per hour or $11 for 24 hours.
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Baggage check	Yes
Other information
Opened	1920
Rebuilt	1985
Accessible
Code	NHV (Amtrak) ZVE (IATA)
Traffic
Passengers (2008)	705,458 (Amtrak) ▲ 10.2%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Stamford toward Washington, D.C. Acela Express New London toward Boston South Station Bridgeport toward Newport News or Lynchburg Northeast Regional Wallingford toward Springfield, MA Old Saybrook toward Boston South Station Terminus New Haven-Springfield Shuttle Wallingford toward Springfield, MA Bridgeport toward Washington, D.C. Vermonter Meriden toward St. Albans Preceding station   CDOT   Following station Bridgeport toward Stamford Shore Line East New Haven-State Street toward New London     Proposed     Terminus New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Commuter Rail New Haven-State Street toward Springfield Preceding station   Metro-North Railroad   Following station Milford toward Grand Central New Haven Line New Haven-State Street Terminus

Union Station is the main railroad passenger station in New Haven, Connecticut. Designed by noted architect Cass Gilbert, the beaux-arts Union Station opened in 1918 after the previous Union Station was destroyed by fire. It fell into decline, however, along with the rest of the railroad industry in North America after World War II. It was shuttered in 1972 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 3, 1975,^[1] but it was almost demolished before the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project came to the rescue in 1979. Reopened after extensive renovations in early 1985, it is now the premier gateway to the city.

The handsomely restored building features interior limestone walls, ornate ceilings, chandeliers and striking stainless steel ceilings in the tunnels to the trains. In the station, there are newsstands, car rental outlets, restaurants and other stores. Parking for the station has been a major bottleneck, despite a large parking structure attached to the station in addition to parking lots. The parking problem has been partially alleviated by the opening of the State Street Station and the opening of other large parking structures in the area.

Current service

Amtrak

Union Station at dusk

v • d • e Northeast Corridor
Legend Boston South Station Boston Back Bay Route 128 Providence Kingston Westerly Mystic New London Old Saybrook Springfield Hartford New Haven Bridgeport Stamford New Rochelle New York City Newark, NJ Newark Airport Metropark New Brunswick Princeton Junction Trenton Cornwells Heights Philadephia Wilmington Newark Aberdeen Baltimore BWI Airport New Carrollton Washington, D.C.

Amtrak runs frequent service through Union Station along the electrified Northeast Corridor rail line. Most Amtrak trains are Northeast Regional trains or Acela Express trains operating between New York City and Boston.

Shuttle trains to Springfield, Massachusetts connect with some Northeast Regional trains; other Northeast Regionals run through to Springfield from New York or vice versa. These through trains must change locomotives at New Haven, as the track north to Springfield is not electrified, unlike the Northeast Corridor.

Additionally, the Vermonter provides through service from Washington, D.C. beyond Springfield to St. Albans, Vermont.

Because of Continental Airlines code sharing on select Amtrak trains between Union Station and its hub at Newark Liberty International Airport in the New York City area, Union Station is assigned the IATA airport code of ZVE.

Metro-North

Metro-North Railroad operates its New Haven Line from Union Station, to Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The service is well patronized by commuters, despite the travel time of nearly two hours.

Shore Line East

Shore Line East is a commuter rail service operated by the Connecticut Department of Transportation designed to serve residents of coastal Connecticut east of New Haven who work in New Haven, Stamford, or New York. Shore Line East trains run primarily inbound from Old Saybrook, Connecticut in the morning, and primarily outbound in the evening, with a few runs continuing to New London, Connecticut.

Future service

The states of Connecticut and Massachusetts are considering establishing the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Commuter Rail Line from New Haven to Springfield on the current Amtrak line, with a shuttle bus connection in Windsor Locks for Bradley International Airport.

During the football season of 2009, Connecticut train riders will be able to ride a one-seat train towards Secaucus for football games. This will simply be an extended version of New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor Line. The train will consist of an ALP-46 locomotive as well as double-decker passenger cars. The train will be operated by Metro North from Union Station (New Haven) to Penn Station and by New Jersey Transit from Penn Station through Secaucus Junction, where transfer to the Meadowlands Rail Line is available.

Platform and track configuration

This station has four high-level island platforms each nine cars long. All platforms are used for service in either direction.

The New Haven Line has 14 tracks at this location. The northern platform is adjacent to Tracks 1 and 3. The second platform from the north is adjacent to Tracks 2 and 4. The second platform from the south is adjacent to Tracks 8 and 10. The southern platform is adjacent to Tracks 12 and 14. Track 6, not adjacent to any platform, is used only by through trains.

See also

• Connecticut Rail Commuter Council is the official state advocate for train commuters and brings station problems to the attention of officials.

References

External links

• Amtrak - Stations - New Haven Union Station

• Ridership figures, FY 2004
• Ridership figures, FY 2005
• Ridership figures, FY 2006
• Ridership figures, FY 2007
• Ridership figures, FY 2008

• Metro-North Railroad - New Haven-Union Station
• Shore Line East - Union Station, New Haven
• New Haven Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)
• The Subway Nut - New Haven Union Station

Coordinates: 41°17′51″N 72°55′36″W / 41.297532°N 72.926559°W / 41.297532; -72.926559

• One Seat Ticket to Football Games

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Union Station (New Haven, Connecticut)

v • d • e U.S. National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register · History of the National Register of Historic Places · Property types · Historic district · Contributing property List of entries National Park Service · National Historic Landmarks · National Battlefields · National Historic Sites · National Historical Parks · National Memorials · National Monuments