Union Station (Worcester, Massachusetts)
Worcester | |||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Union Station in October 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||
General information | |||||||||||||||||||||
Location | 2 Washington Square Worcester, Massachusetts | ||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 42°15′40″N 71°47′42″W / 42.26111°N 71.79500°W | ||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Worcester Redevelopment Authority | ||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | Worcester Main Line Worcester Branch Providence and Worcester Railroad Norwich and Worcester Railroad | ||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 1 side platform (Worcester Main) 2 unused island platforms (Worcester Branch ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 4 (Worcester Main) 2 (Worcester Branch) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Connections | ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||
Parking | 300 short-term spaces | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||
Station code | WOR | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fare zone | 8 (MBTA) | ||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 1911 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rebuilt | 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||
2017 | 6,665[1] ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||
2018 | 1,298 (weekday average boardings)[2] (MBTA) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Worcester Union Station | |||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Worcester, Massachusetts | ||||||||||||||||||||
Built by | Woodbury and Leighton Company, Boston[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Architect | Watson & Huckel | ||||||||||||||||||||
Architectural style | Beaux Arts | ||||||||||||||||||||
Part of | Blackstone Canal Historic District (ID71000030) | ||||||||||||||||||||
NRHP reference No. | 80000617[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line, with inbound service to Boston, and a station along Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited passenger line. It also services Peter Pan and Greyhound intercity bus routes as well as local Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) bus service.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Detroit_Publishing_-_Union_Station%2C_Worcester%2C_Mass.jpg/220px-Detroit_Publishing_-_Union_Station%2C_Worcester%2C_Mass.jpg)
The current station was built in 1911 by the New York Central Railroad along the Boston and Albany Railroad Main Line, during the heyday of railroading in the United States, replacing the previous 1875 station. As a union station, it also served the Providence and Worcester Railroad (which was acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad), the Norwich and Worcester Railroad (acquired by the New York and New England Railroad), the Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad and the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad (which both became part of the Boston and Maine Railroad). Passenger service to Union Station ended by 1974, and the abandoned station fell into disrepair.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Union_Station%2C_Worcester%2C_Mass._No._87-2.jpg/220px-Union_Station%2C_Worcester%2C_Mass._No._87-2.jpg)
Subsequently, Union Station was acquired by the Worcester Redevelopment Authority and completely renovated at a cost of $32 million. The station was restored and renovated by Finegold Alexader Architects of Boston, and re-opened in July 2000.[5] An intercity and local bus terminal, with five bus ports, was added at a cost of $5.2 million and opened in August 2006.[6]
Union Station's facilities include the Grand Hall, with original elliptical stained-glass ceilings, interior marble columns and mahogany wood trim, Luciano's Cotton Club, a 1920s gangster-themed restaurant, and the Union Station Parking Garage, which has 500 spaces and direct access to the station.[7] The Cannabis Control Commission established their state headquarters in Union Station in 2019.[8]
There are proposals to extend more frequent passenger service west to Springfield.[9][10]
Second platform
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.[11]
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.[12] The full length of the new platform will have a canopy.[13] Construction is estimated to cost between $40 and $48 million.[14] As of March 2020[update], construction is expected to last from November 2020 to November 2022 if funding is found. A temporary platform east of the I-290 overpass would be used while the west half of the new platform is constructed; the west half would then be used while the east half is built.[15]
Bus connections
Greyhound Bus Lines and Peter Pan Bus Lines operate intercity bus service from Worcester along major highways. OurBus service to New York City stops next to Union Station, on Franklin Street.
WRTA hub
In April 2012, the Worcester Regional Transit Authority broke ground on a new regional transit hub adjacent to historic Union Station:
When completed, the new 14,000 square foot facility will house the WRTA's administrative offices and its customer service center. Included in the design are a new bus pavilion with an enclosed public waiting area, restroom facilities, ticket vending machines and eight bus slips.[16]
The cost was $14 million, with $10 million coming from the Federal Government and the rest coming from the state.[16][17] The new hub opened in May, 2013.[18]
The hub is served by routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 14, 15, 16, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33, and 42.
References
- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2017, State of Massachusetts" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
- ^ Worcester County Listings at the National Register of Historic Places
- ^ "Present Condition of Union Station". The Worcester Magazine. Worcester Massachusetts: Worcester Board of Trade. August 1910. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ http://faainc.com/projects/union-station-intermodal-transportation/
- ^ Worcester, MA - Union Station/Washington Square Project Archived February 4, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Cannabis Commission moves ahead with 10-year Worcester Union Station lease". Worcester Telegram. December 17, 2018.
- ^ Machado, Elisha (September 18, 2017). "Local lawmakers push for feasibility study of Springfield to Boston commuter rail" [Lawmakers are considering bills to improve transportation in Massachusetts]. WWLP.com - Nexstar Media Groupke. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
- ^ Haddadin, Jim (June 19, 2017). "Lawmakers call for study of high-speed rail to Springfield". GateHouse Media/MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
- ^ Welker, Grant (October 1, 2018). "MBTA board approves Union Station platform expansion". Worcester Business Journal.
- ^ "MBTA Worcester Union Station Improvements & Associated Track Work: Stakeholder Meeting" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 6, 2019.
- ^ "Worcester Union Commuter Rail Station Accessibility Improvements and Associated Track Work" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 10, 2020.
- ^ Moulton, Cyrus (August 14, 2019). "Faster completion urged for Union Station center platform". Worcester Telegram.
- ^ Kelly, Maribel (March 10, 2020). "Worcester Union Station Accessibility and Infrastructure Improvements: Stakeholder Meeting" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
- ^ a b "Groundbreaking Ceremony for WRTA Transportation Hub". Worcester Regional Transit Authority Homepage. Worcester Regional Transit Authority. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
- ^ Bock, Linda (April 4, 2012). "New WRTA hub, maintenance garage in the wind". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
- ^ http://www.therta.com/about/new-hub-construction/ WRTA, Transportation Hub
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Worcester, MA – Amtrak
- Worcester, MA – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
- Amtrak - Great American Stations: Worcester, MA (WOR)
- TrainWeb — USA RailGuide: Worcester, MA (WOR)
- Google Maps Street View: Front Street, Harding Street, I-290
- Amtrak stations in Massachusetts
- Bus stations in Massachusetts
- Union stations in the United States
- Former Boston and Albany Railroad stations
- Stations along New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad lines
- Stations along Boston and Maine Railroad lines
- Stations along New York and New England Railroad lines
- Railway stations in the United States opened in 1911
- Transit centers in the United States
- Transportation in Worcester, Massachusetts
- Towers in Massachusetts
- Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
- MBTA Commuter Rail stations in Worcester County, Massachusetts
- National Register of Historic Places in Worcester, Massachusetts
- Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts
- 1911 establishments in Massachusetts
- Skyscrapers in Worcester, Massachusetts
- Transportation buildings and structures in Worcester County, Massachusetts