Union Station (Worcester, Massachusetts)

Worcester Union Station Amtrak inter-city rail station MBTA commuter rail station
Station statistics
Address	34 Washington Square Worcester, MA
Coordinates	42°15′40″N 71°47′42″W
Lines	Amtrak:   Lake Shore Limited MBTA:   Framingham/Worcester Line
Connections	WRTA Buses Peter Pan Bus Lines Greyhound Bus Lines
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	3 (2 bypass the platform)
Parking	Yes, 500 spaces
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Other information
Opened	1911
Rebuilt	2000
Accessible
Code	WOR
Owned by	Worcester Redevelopment Authority
Traffic
Passengers (2011)	8,402  14% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Springfield toward Chicago Lake Shore Limited Framingham toward Boston South Station MBTA Terminus Framingham/Worcester Line Grafton toward South Station
Worcester Union Station U.S. National Register of Historic Places Location: Worcester, Massachusetts Coordinates: 42°15′40.32″N 71°47′41.64″W Architect: Watson & Huckel Architectural style: Beaux Arts Governing body: Private NRHP Reference#: 80000617 Added to NRHP: 1980

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 9th in FY 2011, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 23 passengers daily. 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 Authority's Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line, with inbound service to Back Bay and South Station in Boston
• A stop on Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited Boston section to/from Albany, New York with connections to Chicago (formerly also the Regional's Inland Route)
• Intercity (Peter Pan Bus Lines, Greyhound Bus Lines) and local Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) bus service
• Staffed ticket windows, small concession and vending area, restrooms, enclosed well-lit waiting area
• Free Wi-Fi
• 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.^{[citation needed]}

Nearby Worcester attractions

• Mechanics Hall, a concert hall listed among top 12 in Europe and America, top 4 in America^{[citation needed]}
• DCU Center
• Worcester Art Museum
• 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 accessibility.)
• Contact Amtrak for accessibility information at other stations.

See also

• North Station, proposed extension of the Fitchburg Line may link Worcester.
• Springfield Union Station (Massachusetts)
• High-speed rail in Canada, Montreal–Boston.
  • Northern New England Corridor, rough outline of the proposed Montreal–Boston

External links

• Amtrak – Stations – Worcester, MA
• MBTA - Worcester Union Station
• Union Station/Washington Square Project
• Worcester Union Station (USA RailGuide — TrainWeb)
• Station Building from Google Maps Street View
• Station from I-290 from Google Maps Street View