Amherst station (Nova Scotia)

Amherst station is an inter-city railway station in Amherst, Nova Scotia served by Via Rail Ocean train.

Amherst
The eastbound Ocean departing the Amherst Railway Station in summer 2006.
General information
Location27 Station Street
Amherst, NS
Canada
Coordinates45°49′50″N 64°12′46″W
Owned byVia Rail
Platforms1
Tracks1
Construction
Structure typeSign post
AccessibleYes
History
Opened31 August 1908
Rebuilt1975, 1991, 1992 (minor work)
Previous namesCanadian National Railway, Intercolonial Railway
Services
Preceding station Via Rail Following station
Sackville
toward Montreal
 Ocean Truro
toward Halifax
Former Services
Preceding station Via Rail Following station
Sackville
toward Montreal
 Atlantic Truro
toward Halifax
Preceding station Canadian National Railway Following station
Fort Lawrence
toward St. John
 St. John – Halifax Nappan
toward Halifax
Nova Scotia passenger rail
Ocean to Moncton / Montreal
 Amherst
 Springhill Junction
 Truro Maritime Bus
 Halifax Halifax Transit

The station, which opened in 1908, was staffed by Via Rail until October 2012 when the building was closed. Via Rail passenger trains continue to stop at the station, with checked baggage handled by on-train crew members.

In January 2018, the Town of Amherst announced it had reached a purchase agreement with Via. It will take possession of the building and lease it to allow a local entrepreneur for use as a restaurant, with a plan for its eventual transfer to the entrepreneur through a lease-to-own agreement. As part of the agreement, Via passengers will continue to have access to a waiting area and washrooms, and Via will continue to maintain equipment within the building. The Town has also designated it a Municipal Heritage building.[1]

History

The Intercolonial Railway (ICR) opened its line from Truro to Moncton on 9 November 1872.

Initially the ICR served Amherst passengers from a station constructed of wood on the same site as the present-day structure. The present structure was opened on 31 August 1908 and is constructed of local red sandstone.

In 1918, the ICR was merged into another federal Crown corporation, the Canadian National Railways (CNR), however to this day, local residents still refer to the Amherst Railway Station as the Intercolonial Railway Station.

In 1978, CN transferred responsibility for passenger rail services to another federal Crown corporation, Via Rail. Via is the owner and operator of the station, which serves the 3 days a week Ocean route.

Several minor modifications have been undertaken to the structure in recent decades, including removing the south wing in 1975, replacing the bottom exterior stone in 1991 with stone from the Roman Catholic Church once located on Prince Arthur Street, and in 1992 new metal exterior doors were installed.

References
  1. Town of Amherst, Press release: Town, VIA Rail reach tentative deal to save historic Amherst train station Archived 2018-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, January 9, 2018. URL accessed February 21, 2018
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