Springfield Union Station (Massachusetts)

Not to be confused with Springfield Union Station (Illinois).

Springfield Union Station
Springfield Union Station in July 2016 during renovations
General information
Location	55 Frank B. Murray Street Springfield, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42.106047°N 72.592936°W / 42.106047; -72.592936
Owned by	Springfield Redevelopment Authority (Union Station building, bus terminal, parking garage) Amtrak (current station and platforms)
Line(s)	New Haven–Springfield Line Connecticut River Line Berkshire Subdivision Boston Subdivision
Platforms	2 side platforms, 2 island platforms
Tracks	6
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak code: SPG
History
Opened	1839 (original station) 1851 (first Union Station) 1891 (second Union Station) 1926 (third Union Station) 1973 (first Amtrak station) November 1994 (second Amtrak station)
Rebuilt	2017 (third Union Station)
Passengers
FY2016	93,650  24.83% (Amtrak)
Services
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Springfield Union Station is a train and bus station in the Metro Center area of Springfield, Massachusetts. Constructed in 1926, Springfield Union Station is the fifth busiest Amtrak station in the Commonwealth.

A large-scale $94 million renovation project restored the former station building, and it reopened in late June 2017 as a regional intermodal transit hub not only featuring Amtrak service, but serving as the new hub for the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) bus system in the area, along with the planned hub for Peter Pan Bus Lines, Greyhound service and the planned new Hartford Line. Presently as of September 2017, PVTA as well as intercity bus service have moved in and are operating out of the station. Amtrak's present facility at Union Station is located within a building located along the tracks upon the viaduct situated along Lyman Street to the south. The rail station is slated to move into the Union Station main hall upon the completion of a new elevated boarding platform and elevators and stairs to the platform which is targeted for the first quarter of 2018.

History

Springfield's original station, constructed in the Egyptian Revival style in 1839

The first so-named Union Station constructed in 1851, ca. 1888 during its dismantlement

The second Union Station, ca. 1910

Springfield's grand Union Station was constructed in 1926 by the Boston & Albany Railroad to replace a smaller Union Station, which had been adorned in unique Egyptian-style architecture. The station was built for $5.87 million. The station opened to the public on December 18, 1926.

Springfield is exactly equidistant to both Boston and Albany at 89 miles (143 km) from each. The New York, New Haven & Hartford (including the Central New England Railway) and Boston & Maine railroads also utilized the station.

Already in the 1950s, the New York Central Railroad, parent company of the Boston & Albany, wanted to sell the grand Springfield station, calling it "a white elephant". The opening of the Massachusetts Turnpike in 1958 was said to have caused a 50% decline in passenger trips to Boston. By 1962, train departures had fallen from a 1920s-30s peak of 97 per day to fewer than 15 per day. The station was sold in 1970 to David Buntzman, a real estate speculator from Larchmont, New York.

The 1926 main station building and baggage building closed in 1973 as passenger traffic could no longer justify the 221,000-square foot station and the Boston & Albany intercity routes were taken over by Amtrak. The building had been neglected for a number of years and was in poor condition, and the required rehabilitation to the building was deemed too costly. After this, Amtrak opened a makeshift station at street level within the passenger tunnel, with the sole entrance being from Lyman Street. The connection from the tunnel to the old station was sealed.

In 1994 Amtrak constructed the present station building at track level and sealed off the passenger tunnel except for the present Lyman Street entrance and the southernmost stairway and elevator shaft to track level. A modern elevator was installed in the remaining open shaft to connect from street level to the new station building above.

Renovation

In October 2008, the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and the Springfield Redevelopment Authority released a redevelopment plan for Union Station. The plan, estimated to cost $65.2 million, called for restoring the 1926 Union Station Terminal building for reuse as an intermodal rail and bus station and fully building out the first floor and main concourse with rentable commercial space and ticketing and waiting areas for both rail and bus. The baggage building was to be demolished and baggage tunnel sealed. A parking garage and bus bays for both inter-city and regional bus services (which would replace the Peter L. Picknelly Transportation Center a block away) would go on the footprint of the former baggage building. Additionally the pedestrian tunnel to Lyman Street would be restored, and the platforms raised for handicapped accessibility. The final plan announced in December 2014, at a cost $75.7 million, additionally includes restoring and building out the upper floors of the 1926 station building to usable vacant "shell space". This would include only infrastructure and utility work on those floors, with final finishing work to be done by the eventual tenants based on their needs. This space is aimed for use by office or other commercial tenants. By the time the station opened, the full cost had risen to $94 million.

Demolition of the baggage building began on December 1, 2014, and was completed in early 2015. The only remnent of the baggage facility is a tunnel under the rail viaduct that was used for freight and baggage transport between the warehouse and the trains above. The only remaining entrance to this tunnel is a set of doors along the retaining wall in the bus loading area at the location of where the tunnel formerly connected to the warehouse although it is off limits to the public. By February 2016 the parking garage had been assembled and restoration work on the station terminal building had begun, with new windows and roofing installed. The restoration was nearly complete in March 2017 when officials took journalists on a tour and the grand opening occurred on June 24, 2017.

Bronze re-dedication plaque at the Union Station Transportation Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The PVTA was the first transportation operator to use the renovated station; it began operations there on June 24, 2017, leasing 18 bus berths. Peter Pan and Greyhound buses began operating out of Union Station on September 6, 2017. The companies ended their revenue-sharing agreement and began operating competing services three weeks later.

Amtrak service located at Union Station continues to be located in Amtrak's building on the upper level near track 8. The passenger tunnel has been opened in a temporary configuration allowing passengers access between the newly renovated station hall and the existing Amtrak area. This temporary configuration will continue until MassDOT can complete work to rebuild one of the train platforms as a modern elevated platform in full compliance with modern ADA requirements and complete the stairwell and elevator access from the tunnel to this platform. The goal is for it to be complete in time for the beginning of operations for the new Hartford Line service to New Haven which has been announced to be starting in May 2018. Once this project is complete, the station will shift to its permanent configuration with train passengers waiting in the grand hall and then accessing the new platform directly from the passenger tunnel. MassDOT will be responsible for leasing and laying out the rail ticketing and service areas in the main hall which will be shared by Amtrak and the operator of the new Hartford line service.

Services

An Amtrak Shuttle train at Springfield

The primary passenger rail service at Springfield Union Station is the New Haven – Springfield Shuttle trains connecting Springfield to the Amtrak's Northeast Corridor trains in New Haven. An additional 1-2 daily Northeast Regional round trips start or terminate their service at Springfield.

The station is also served by Vermonter and the Lake Shore Limited trains. Vermonter currently uses the north-south Connecticut River Line to Connecticut and Vermont, while the Lake Shore Limited makes use of the east-west Boston Line platforms as it continues to and from Albany.

In the past a single Northeast Regional round trip (usually trains 142 and 145) would travel between New Haven and Boston via the so-called "Inland Route" via Springfield and the Boston Line, as opposed to the faster, electrified Northeast Corridor. In 2003, a problem pulled the Acela Express trainsets out of service and in an effort to find substitute rolling stock, Amtrak first curtailed the inland round trip to a three-car shuttle between Boston and New Haven before canceling it completely. Today, all normally scheduled Regional trains using the Inland Route only use the portion between Springfield and New Haven; in the event of a service disruption on the Northeast Corridor, trains may be scheduled to run via the complete Inland Route. One such occasion was the replacement of the Thames River Bridge movable span in June 2008, when Amtrak scheduled three round trips per day over the Inland Route to substitute for the complete suspension of regular Northeast Corridor service.

In 2011, construction began on renovations to Connecticut River Line in Western Massachusetts, and on December 29, 2014, the Vermonter was re-routed onto the line.

Bus operations

Union Station serves as the region's bus hub. The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, which operates local buses serving Springfield and surrounding towns, occupies 18 bus berths at the station. Springfield-based Peter Pan Bus Lines uses seven bus berths for intercity buses, and Greyhound bus uses the remaining two for its intercity service.

Planned rail service

Springfield's renovated Union Station will be the northern terminus for the Hartford Line, a commuter rail service scheduled to enter service in 2018. On July 24, 2017 the Connecticut Department of Transportation announced that the Hartford Line service will begin in May 2018. A joint partnership between TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts was chosen as the operator for the new service. This partnership operates similar commuter services in other markets. Amtrak will continue its present intercity service on the line and will continue to own and maintain the infrastructure on the rail line between New Haven and Springfield. In October 2017, Connecticut DOT revealed the details of the new service. The expanded service to Springfield Union Station from New Haven will include a total of six additional roundtrips, three of which will be commuter trains operated by the new CTRail operator, and the other three of which will be additional Amtrak shuttles which will bring the service to 9 Amtrak round trips and 3 CTrail round trips.

Possible future rail service

Commuter rail service has been proposed for the rail corridor running between Springfield and Greenfield with four daily round trips. A 2014 state transportation funding bill included $30 million for acquiring used MBTA Commuter Rail rolling stock and new locomotives for the service.

Additionally, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Vermont Agency of Transportation have completed a study to examine the opportunities and impacts of more frequent and higher speed intercity passenger rail service between Boston and Montreal. The Boston to Montreal corridor runs from Boston to Springfield Union Station. From Springfield the rail corridor follows the route of the Vermonter northerly through Holyoke, Northampton, and Greenfield, Massachusetts, and Brattleboro, White River Junction, Essex Junction (Burlington), and St. Albans, Vermont. From St. Albans, the corridor continues to the Canada–US border and onward to Montreal Central Station in Quebec. This study has been designated the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative.

Station layout

Springfield Union Station layout
Berkshire Subdivision to Worcester Chestnut Street Dwight Street Renovated station Current station 1 2 4 6 8 Main Street E. Columbus Avenue I-91 New Haven– Springfield Line Connecticut River Line Connecticut River Berkshire Subdivision to Albany–Rensselaer

The Union Station building, bus bays, and parking garage are located on the north side of the rail viaduct adjacent to Frank B. Murray Street. The Amtrak waiting room is located on the south side of the viaduct next to Lyman Street. A tunnel leads under the viaduct, allowing Union Station to be accessed from Lyman Street. The main hall in Union Station includes a waiting area for rail passengers, restaurants, retail spaces, and ticket windows for rail and intercity bus services; a PVTA local bus waiting area is located in an adjacent room. Stairs and elevators lead from the tunnel to the rail platforms. Commercial space is located on the second and third floors.

The rail viaduct holds six tracks, which are numbered 1, 2, 2a, 4, 6, and 8 from north to south. Tracks 1 through 2a are primarily used by CSX for freight service on their Berkshire Subdivision and are served by platforms 1 and 2. Tracks 4 through 8 (serving platforms 3 and 4) are currently used for most Amtrak service; they connect directly to the New Haven–Springfield Line west of the station, but only connect to the CSX tracks east of the station. (The Lake Shore Limited uses the CSX tracks for this reason.) West of the station, the New Haven-Springfield line curves to the south while the Berkshire Subdivision continues on to cross the Connecticut River on a twin truss bridge. The Connecticut River Line connects to both lines west of the station, although it requires a backup move to reach tracks 4 though 8.

The four current platforms were once all island platforms, with stairways to the under-track tunnel and cargo elevators to a separate tunnel serving the baggage building. Platform 3 will rebuilt as a high-level platform with direct stair and elevator access to the pedestrian tunnel in 2018. Amtrak plans to move ticketing and passenger waiting areas to the main hall in late 2017. The current Amtrak facilities will likely be used by Amtrak police and as a crew base, which are currently located in trailer buildings adjacent to track 8.

Station services

The Springfield Union Station offers a Commuter Variety newsstand that sells quick necessities, with restaurants that include Dunkin' Donuts, and Subway. There is a Sixt car-rental outlet and parking is available at the station through garages owned by the Springfield Parking Authority. There is also an additional retail space available for a cafe and bar in the station waiting room and the SRA is in talks with local restaurant operators to lease and develop that space after the original planned developer pulled out in October 2017.

The second and third floors of the station has a total 62,000 square feet of office space available for lease. Most of the space was left as a "big white box" with utlities, so future tenents can select the layout they want.

Tenant	Service	Location	Service date	Notes
Commuter Valley	Newsstand	Main concourse	June 2017
Dunkin' Donuts	Coffee shop	Main concourse	Early Aug. 2017
Subway	Sandwich shop	Main concourse	Mid Aug. 2017
Sixt	Car-rental	Main concourse	October 2017
Pioneer Valley Transit Authority	Local Bus Hub	Local Bus Waiting Area	June 2017
Peter Pan Bus Lines	Regional Bus Hub	Main concourse	September 2017
Greyhound Bus	Intercity Bus Service	Main concourse	September 2017
Dietz & Co. Architects	Offices	2nd Floor	Aug 1st, 2017
MassDOT/Amtrak	Rail service	Main concourse	Late 2017/Early 2018	Amtrak contractors fitting out of ticket office space in November/December 2017
The Whistle Stop Cafe	Italian restaurant	--	--	Plans failed.

SUS timeline

• On June 6th 2017; Dietz & Company Architects the largest architecture firm in the region, announced they would be occupying approximately 8,200 square feet on the second floor. Becoming Union Station stations first tenant.

Further reading

• Phaneuf, Wayne E.; Carvalho III, Joseph; Boyle, Margaret L. (2017). Saving Union Station. The Republican. ISBN 978-0-692-85718-2.
• Simon, Ellis B. (2016). "Springfield Union Station". Passenger Train Journal (2016–4): 18–23. Archived from the original on 2016-12-27. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

External links

• Springfield Union Station - Springfield Redevelopment Authority
• Springfield, MA – Amtrak
• Springfield, MA – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Springfield, MA (SPG) (Amtrak's Great American Stations)
• Springfield Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)