New Haven, CT

Located in the Long Wharf area south of downtown, New Haven Union Station is not only the most used passenger rail facility in Connecticut, but it is also one of the busiest stations in the Amtrak national network. Opened to the public in 1920 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, the current Union Station is the third major passenger rail facility to serve the people of New Haven. Commissioned by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad-commonly referred to as the "New Haven,"-the building replaced a nearby station built in the 1870s that had become crowded and outdated.

As one of the most industrialized and wealthy regions of the nation, New England was an early leader in railroad development and by 1871, New Haven boasted 6 rail lines. The New Haven quickly became the dominant freight and passenger line in southern New England, absorbing smaller lines to control the primary inland and coastal routes linking Boston and New York City. By the 1920s, the New Haven had more than 2,000 miles in its portfolio and carried an estimated 10 percent of all the nation's rail passengers.

Charles Mellon, then president of the New Haven, encouraged architect Cass Gilbert to create a grand building symbolizing the New Haven's prominent position in the rail industry. Gilbert's station is a steel framed structure clad in masonry, with an expanse of windows that allows natural light to flood the interior. The building's harmonious proportions and grand interior volumes are underscored through the minimal use of applied decoration. The ground floor originally housed separate waiting rooms for men and women, a lunchroom, and a sit-down restaurant. Today, its wooden benches are topped by model trains depicting various New Haven locomotives, cars and color schemes-a delight to travelers of all ages.

Passengers can board the high-speed Acela Express or the Northeast Regional trains to head toward Washington, D.C. or Boston. Select Shuttle trains terminate at Springfield, Massachusetts, while the Vermonter provides service to towns and winter resorts within the Connecticut River Valley. New Haven is also an important transfer point between Amtrak and commuter rail services such as the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA's) Metro-North Railroad and the Shore Line East Railroad. Additionally, the intermodal station accommodates intercity and local buses, taxis, rental car businesses, and a shuttle service that carries passengers from the station to the historic New Haven Green in the revitalized downtown.