Windsor Locks station

Windsor Locks station is an Amtrak and CT Rail train station in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, on the New Haven–Springfield Line. It is served by four Amtrak services - the Hartford Line shuttles, Northeast Regional, Valley Flyer, and Vermonter - as well as CT Rail Hartford Line commuter rail trains.

Windsor Locks, CT
Windsor Locks station in January 2015
General information
LocationSouth Main Street at Stanton Road
Windsor Locks, Connecticut
United States
Coordinates41°54′50″N 72°37′34″W
Owned by
Line(s)New Haven–Springfield Line
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
ConnectionsBus transport CTtransit Hartford: 24, 96, 905, 915
Construction
Parking30 spaces
Bicycle facilitiesNo
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: WNL
History
Opened1839
Rebuilt1875, 1971, 1981
Passengers
FY 202219,733[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Windsor
toward Norfolk, Newport News or Roanoke
 Northeast Regional Springfield
Terminus
Windsor
toward New Haven
 Hartford Line
Valley Flyer Springfield
toward Greenfield
Hartford
toward Washington, D.C.
 Vermonter Springfield
toward St. Albans
Preceding station CT Rail Following station
Windsor
toward New Haven Union Station
 Hartford Line Springfield
Terminus
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Windsor
toward Atlantic City
 Atlantic City Express
1991–1995
 Springfield
Terminus
Windsor Locks Passenger Station
Coordinates41.933611°N 72.6275°W / 41.933611; -72.6275
NRHP reference No.75001937

The current station has only a small platform and shelter. A new station with high-level platforms is planned to be built in downtown Windsor Locks, where the station was located until 1981. The former station building at that site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Windsor Locks Passenger Station.

History
An Amtrak train at the 1875-built station in 1979
The derelict station in 2015

The Hartford and New Haven Railroad opened through Windsor Locks in 1839. The New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad, its successor, built a new station in the town center in 1875. The station building was closed by Penn Central in 1971; Penn Central and later Amtrak passengers continued to use the platform, but Penn Central used the interior as a signal workshop.[2] Penn Central later attempted to demolish the station, but a local group succeeded in having it listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Amtrak bought the Springfield Line infrastructure, including the "remarkably intact" station, in 1976.[2] Service moved to the current location – a new park and ride stop just south of Interstate 91 – in 1981.[3][4]

The 2004 Recommended Action of the New Haven Hartford Springfield Commuter Rail Implementation Study included the construction of a new Windsor Locks station on the existing south-of-downtown site. A single high-level platform was to be constructed, with a pedestrian bridge leading to an added parking area on the west side of South Main Street.[5] A second platform serving a restored second track would have been added later.[6]

However, local preference was to move the station stop back to the original downtown site. Spurred by a 2000 arson that damaged the structure, the Windsor Locks Preservation Association (WLPA) was formed in 2004 to support repair and reuse of the building.[2] By 2007, the WLPA and the town had secured $274,000 of the estimated $700,000 to purchase and repair the station, and serious consideration was being given to moving the Amtrak stop there as well. However, after years of unsuccessful negotiations about the sale and future use, the WLPA disbanded in 2011. The town took over negotiations and purchased the station from Amtrak in December 2014.[2] In 2015, the town began planning renovations of the station building for future use as a "shared workspace".[7]

Hartford Line plans from 2012 included two possible station sites: one at the existing station with an enlargement of the current parking lot, and one at the former location with a new parking lot. Either location would have 500-foot (150 m)-long high level platforms serving the current track plus a restored second track, with a pedestrian bridge connecting the two platforms.[8] Funding for the new station and second track were not included in initial Hartford Line funding. Service, which started on June 16, 2018, uses the existing station.[9] In February 2017, the state announced an additional $50 million in funds, including money to complete design of the relocated Windsor Locks station.[10] Design work will be completed by 2020.[11]

Site of the new station in November 2021

As of September 2019, the state plans for the station replacement to be a $65 million project. A 510-foot (160 m)-long high-level platform, brick shelter, and parking lot will be built at the downtown site, just north of the former station building. A 5,000-foot (1,500 m)-long passing siding will be built, and the connection to the Suffield Branch reconfigured. A new maintenance-of-way yard will be built at the existing station site. The project also includes the reconstruction of Route 159 between Bridge Street and the station, including a multi-use path to connect with the Windsor Locks Canal State Park Trail at Bridge Street. Construction is anticipated to start in late 2020 and be completed in late 2023.[12][13]

In February 2020, the state received a $17.4 million federal grant for the project.[14] Demolition of a nearby structure began in March 2020.[15] The state approved $45 million in bonds for the project in April 2020.[16] The town plans for transit-oriented development adjacent to the station, including a public market and apartment buildings.[17] The town was awarded $130,000 in December 2020 for restoration of the station building.[18] In March 2021, the town reached an agreement with a developer to restore the building for use as a welcome center, cafe, and brewery.[19]

Bidding for the project began in November 2021.[20] Construction began in September 2022 and is expected to be complete in mid-2025, with a total project cost of $87 million.[21]

See also

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Connecticut" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. "Windsor Locks (WNL)". Great American Stations. Amtrak. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  3. National Train Timetables Effective February 1, 1981 through April 25, 1981. National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). February 1, 1981. p. 57 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
  4. National Train Timetables Effective April 26, 1981 through October 24, 1981. Includes Northeast Corridor Schedules Effective April 26, 1981 through August 1, 1981. National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). April 26, 1981. p. 57 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
  5. URS. "Windsor Locks Start-up Conceptual Site Plan" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 19, 2006. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  6. URS. "Windsor Locks Full-Build Conceptual Site Plan" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 19, 2006. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  7. Walsh, Michael (October 2, 2015). "Historic Train Station To Be Given Second Life". Hartford Courant. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  8. CDM Smith (February 24, 2012). "Station and Layover Site Concept Plans" (PDF). New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Environmental Assessment. Connecticut Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  9. "Hartford Line Official Inaugural Schedule" (PDF). Hartford Line. June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  10. "CTDOT ANNOUNCES $50 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR NHHS RAIL PROGRAM" (Press release). Connecticut Department of Transportation. February 20, 2017.
  11. "Design Continues for New Hartford Line Stations" (PDF). New Haven-Hartford Springfield Rail Program Newsletter. Connecticut Department of Transportation. Summer 2017. p. 3.
  12. "Fact Sheet: Windsor Locks" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. August 2019.
  13. "Hartford Line Windsor Locks Station Public Information Meeting" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. September 19, 2019.
  14. "Governor Lamont Announces State Receives $17.4 Million Federal Grant to Build a New Train Station in Windsor Locks" (Press release). Office of Governor Ned Lamont. February 29, 2020.
  15. Chaisson, Joe (March 13, 2020). "Windsor Locks set to start demolition for new train station". Journal Inquirer.
  16. Bedner, Eric (April 17, 2020). "Windsor Locks train station funding approved, towns finally get state bond money". Journal Inquirer.
  17. Bordonaro, Greg (May 4, 2020). "Windsor Locks eyes $45M mixed-use development around planned train station". Hartford Business Journal.
  18. Knox, Matthew P. (December 4, 2020). "Windsor Locks celebrate $130,000 train station grant". Journal Inquirer. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  19. Chaisson, Joe (March 4, 2021). "Windsor Locks working with developer to restore historic train station". Hartford Business Journal. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  20. Frazer, Skyler (October 8, 2021). "WIndsor Locks to get new railroad station; goal is to spur development". Journal Inquirer.
  21. "Governor Lamont Breaks Ground on New Train Station in Windsor Locks" (Press release). Office of Governor Ned Lamont. September 14, 2022.
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