Union Station (Brattleboro, Vermont)

Brattleboro
The Vermonter at Brattleboro
General information
Location	10 Vernon Road Brattleboro, VT 05301
Coordinates	42°50′19″N 72°33′01″W
Line(s)	New England Central Railroad
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	Yes
Other information
Station code	BRA
Passengers
FY2015	18,963  5.8%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Template:Amtrak stations toward Template:Amtrak stations Template:Amtrak lines Template:Amtrak stations toward Template:Amtrak stations Template:Amtrak stations Closed toward Template:Amtrak stations Template:Amtrak lines until 2014

Brattleboro is an Amtrak train station in Brattleboro, Vermont. It is the southernmost station along the Vermonter line within the state of Vermont.

History

The first depot in Brattleboro, a long one-story building with a gabled roof, was built on the banks of the Connecticut River not far from the present site of Union Station.

In 1880, a larger and more substantial two story brick station was built to the south of the first depot. This depot later became a “union station” when the Boston and Maine Railroad built a trestle across the Connecticut River to connect with the Central Vermont Railway.

Union Station, circa 1920

The current Union Station building was completed in 1915. From north to south, the station consisted of the main passenger building, a recessed baggage wing, and a freight building. The center of the passenger building, which is five bays across, is marked by a projecting pavilion topped by a gable that contains a stone plaque inscribed with “1915.”

Union Station closed in September 1966 and was sold to the town. A proposal to raze the building and create a parking lot prompted concerned residents to work with city officials to consider reuse options for the structure. In 1972, it reopened as the home of the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center. A year later, Amtrak took over the ground floor for use as a waiting room to serve passengers on the Montrealer, replaced in 1995 by the Vermonter. The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

In the late 1990s, Brattleboro officials proposed a two phase multi-modal project to include a downtown parking garage and a refurbished Amtrak station. The project received $8 million from the Federal Transit Administration; $1.8 million in state grants; $4 million in local funds raised by bond issue; and $1.2 million through other sources. The garage, which also includes a local and intercity bus facility, was completed in 2003, but a new Amtrak station was never built.

External links

• Media related to Union Station (Brattleboro, Vermont) at Wikimedia Commons
• Brattleboro, VT – Amtrak
• Brattleboro, VT – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Brattleboro, VT (BRA) - (Amtrak's Great American Stations)
• Brattleboro Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)