Staunton station

Staunton station is an Amtrak train station in Staunton, Virginia, located in the downtown Wharf Area Historic District of the city. It is served by Amtrak's Cardinal, which runs between New York and Chicago.

Staunton, VA
General information
Location	1 Middlebrook Avenue Staunton, Virginia United States
Coordinates	38°8′51″N 79°4′19.2″W
Owned by	MH Staunton, LLC
Line(s)	Buckingham Branch Railroad
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Connections	Staunton Trolley: Green Line
Construction
Parking	short & long term
Accessible	Platform only
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: STA
History
Opened	1886 (signal house)
Passengers
FY 2022	4,748[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Clifton Forge toward Chicago Cardinal Charlottesville toward New York
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Clifton Forge toward Chicago James Whitcomb Riley 1974-1977 Charlottesville toward Washington, D.C. or Newport News James Whitcomb Riley and George Washington 1971-1974 Preceding station Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Following station Swoope toward Cincinnati Main Line Brand toward Washington, D.C. or Old Point Comfort

The station has restrooms and benches, but no ticket office. With limited intercity bus service in Staunton, a Virginia Breeze stop two miles distant, the station serves a large area of the Shenandoah Valley for rail service.[2]

Next to the station are restaurants and art studios, as well as other points of interest. For pedestrians, the historic Sears Hill Bridge and paved trail lead to the Sears Hill neighborhood and the Sears House in Woodrow Wilson Park. The 1905 steel truss bridge was restored 2010-2016, by community fundraising and the city.[3][4][5][6] Next to the station is a Chessie System caboose.[7][8]

The site of the station has been a railroad depot since 1854:

The present railroad station is the third one on this site. The first station was destroyed by [Union] General Hunter's troops in June of 1864. A runaway train at the turn-of-the-century [in 1890[9]] destroyed the second station.

— Staunton in the Civil War[10]

The third and existing station building was designed by Staunton architect Thomas Jasper Collins and built by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in 1902.[11]

The current station facility is the former telegraph tower from when the Staunton station functioned as a full passenger and freight railroad depot. While the platform still functions as the railroad platform for loading and unloading passengers, the former station passenger and freight buildings are now occupied by a reception hall for events, replacing a restaurant.