Williston station

For the Long Island Rail Road station in East Williston, New York, see East Williston station.
Williston, ND
General information
Location1 South Main Street
Williston, North Dakota
United States
Coordinates48°08′34″N 103°37′16″W / 48.1429°N 103.6211°W / 48.1429; -103.6211
Owned byBNSF Railway
Line(s)BNSF Glasgow Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks8
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: WTN
History
OpenedJune 18, 1893[1][2]
Rebuilt1910, 2010
Passengers
FY 202317,213[3] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Wolf Point
toward Seattle or Portland
 Empire Builder Stanley
toward Chicago
Former services
Preceding station Great Northern Railway Following station
Trenton
toward Seattle
 Main Line Avoca
toward St. Paul
Location
Map

Williston station is a train station in Williston, North Dakota, served by Amtrak's Empire Builder line. The brick station was built in 1910 by the Great Northern Railway[4] and is located at the southern end of Williston's downtown. An interior and exterior restoration, begun in 2010 and costing almost $2 million, has returned the station to its original look.[4]

With the opening of the Bakken oil fields in the 21st century, many oil production workers now also board and detrain in Williston, adding additional passengers to the route. Many workers from as far as the Pacific Northwest opt to travel to their jobs via the station rather than fly or take the bus.[5] Amtrak conductors frequently let passengers use Williston as an unofficial smoke break or fresh air stop, partly due to delays caused by the sheer volume of passengers boarding and alighting at the station.

Ridership at the station had a particular spike in Amtrak's 2012 fiscal year, when ridership grew by almost 82 percent to 54,324 from 29,920 the year before (though 2011 ridership had been partly degraded due to flooding along the route).[6][7] This patronage continued even in the wake of terrible delays that plagued the Empire Builder for much of 2013 and 2014 due to increased freight traffic related to the Bakken boom.

As of fiscal year 2018, Williston is North Dakota's second busiest Amtrak station, behind Minot.

  1. ^ Allen 1893, p. 500.
  2. ^ "The Railroads". The Detroit Free Press. June 18, 1893. p. 19. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of North Dakota" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Williston, North Dakota; Great American Stations (Amtrak)
  5. ^ "Commuting by rail: Amtrak's Empire Builder gives Bakken oil field workers affordable option to travel home". Great Falls Tribune. February 14, 2014.
  6. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2011, State of North Dakota" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  7. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2012, State of North Dakota" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2015.