Union Station (New Haven)

New Haven
New Haven Union Station in September 2018
General information
Location50 Union Avenue
New Haven, Connecticut
United States
Coordinates41°17′51″N 72°55′36″W / 41.29750°N 72.92667°W / 41.29750; -72.92667
Owned byConnDOT
Operated byNew Haven Parking Authority
Line(s)ConnDOT New Haven Line (Northeast Corridor)
New Haven–Springfield Line
Platforms4 island platforms
Tracks9
ConnectionsIntercity Bus CT Transit: 271, 272, 278, Union Station Shuttle
Intercity Bus Greyhound
Intercity Bus Megabus
Intercity Bus Yale Shuttle
Construction
ParkingUnion Station parking garage
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: NHV
IATA codeZVE
Fare zone21 (Metro-North)
Websiteunionstationnewhaven.com
History
Opened1920
Rebuilt1985
Passengers
FY 2023792,634 annually[1] (Amtrak)
20183,216 daily boardings[2] (Metro-North)
2019541 daily boardings[3] (Shore Line East)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Stamford Acela Providence
Bridgeport Northeast Regional Old Saybrook
New Haven State Street
Terminus Amtrak Hartford Line
Valley Flyer New Haven State Street
toward Greenfield
Bridgeport Vermonter Meriden
toward St. Albans
Preceding station CT Rail Following station
Terminus Shore Line East New Haven State Street
toward New London
West Haven
limited weekday service
toward Stamford
Terminus Hartford Line New Haven State Street
Preceding station Metro-North Railroad Following station
West Haven New Haven Line Terminus
New Haven State Street
peak service
Terminus
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Terminus Beacon Hill Branford
Clamdigger Branford
toward New London
Bridgeport Montrealer Meriden
toward Montreal
Stamford
toward New York
Cape Codder Providence
toward Hyannis
Bridgeport Atlantic City Express Wallingford
Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station
Woodmont
toward New York
Main Line Terminus
New York Penn
Terminus
Main Line
through service
Terminus Shore Line East Haven
toward Boston
New Haven Railroad Station
Built1920
ArchitectCass Gilbert[5]
Architectural styleLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Second Renaissance Revival
NRHP reference No.75001941[4]
Added to NRHPSeptember 3, 1975
Location
Map

New Haven Union Station is the main railroad passenger station in New Haven, Connecticut. It is the third such station in the city of New Haven, preceded by both an 1848 built station in a different location, and an 1879 built station near the current station's location. Designed by noted American architect Cass Gilbert, the present beaux-arts Union Station was completed and opened in 1920 after the previous Union Station (which was located at the foot of Meadow Street, near the site of the current Union Station parking garage) was destroyed by fire.[6] It served the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad for the next five decades, but fell into decline following World War II along with the United States railroad industry as a whole.

The New Haven Railroad went bankrupt in 1961, and the station was transferred to the Penn Central Transportation Company along with the rest of the New Haven Railroad on January 1, 1969. Penn Central itself went bankrupt the next year, and the station building was closed in 1973 to cut costs, leaving only the under-track 'subway' open for passengers. The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 3, 1975,[4] but it was almost demolished before being saved by the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project in 1979, which began work to rehabilitate the station building. Reopened after extensive renovations in early 1985, it is now the most important transportation hub in New Haven. In the 21st century, it is the busiest train station in the state of Connecticut by passengers served, as well as one of the most used stations in Amtrak's entire network.[6]

The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as New Haven Railroad Station. Its significance is partly as an example of the work of Cass Gilbert, who also designed the Woolworth Building in New York and the U.S. Supreme Court Building.[7] The restored building features interior limestone walls, ornate ceilings, chandeliers and striking stainless steel ceilings in the tunnels to the trains. The large waiting room is thirty-five feet high and features models of NYNH&HRR trains on the benches.

Located at the intersection of the Northeast Corridor and the New Haven–Springfield Line, the station serves a variety of train services, including Amtrak, CT Rail, and Metro-North.

  1. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Connecticut" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  2. ^ Metro-North 2018 Weekday Station Boardings. Metro-North Railroad Market Analysis/Fare Policy Group. April 2019. p. 6.
  3. ^ "Attachment 8: Shore Line East station ridership" (PDF). Facility Management Services for Various Railroad Station Facilities for Region C. Connecticut Department of Transportation. 2021.
  4. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  5. ^ "National Register of Historical Places - CONNECTICUT (CT), New Haven County". nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "New Haven, CT – Union Station (NHV)". Great American Stations. Amtrak. 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  7. ^ Stephen J. Raiche (May 5, 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: New Haven Railroad Station / Union Station". National Park Service. and Accompanying three photos, exterior and interior, from 1975