Union Station (Worcester, Massachusetts)

Union Station is a railway station located at Washington Square in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the western terminus of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line, with inbound service to Boston, and a station along Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited passenger line. It also services Peter Pan and Greyhound intercity bus routes as well as local Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) bus service.

Worcester
Union Station in October 2011
Location	2 Washington Square Worcester, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°15′40″N 71°47′42″W
Owned by	Worcester Redevelopment Authority
Line(s)	Worcester Main Line Worcester Branch Providence and Worcester Railroad Norwich and Worcester Railroad
Platforms	1 side platform (Worcester Main) 2 unused island platforms (Worcester Branch )
Tracks	4 (Worcester Main) 2 (Worcester Branch)
Connections	WRTA: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 14, 15, 16, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33, 42 Peter Pan Bus Lines Greyhound Lines
Construction
Parking	300 short-term spaces
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	WOR
Fare zone	8 (MBTA)
History
Opened	1911
Rebuilt	2000
Traffic
Passengers (2017)	6,665[1]  8.34% (Amtrak)
Passengers (2018)	1,298 (weekday average boardings)[2] (MBTA)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Springfield toward Chicago Lake Shore Limited Framingham toward Boston South Preceding station MBTA Following station Terminus Framingham/​Worcester Line Grafton toward South Station
Former services Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station Jamesville toward Albany Boston and Albany Railroad Main Line North Grafton toward Boston
Worcester Union Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Location	Worcester, Massachusetts
Built by	Woodbury and Leighton Company, Boston[3]
Architect	Watson & Huckel
Architectural style	Beaux Arts
Part of	Blackstone Canal Historic District (ID71000030)
NRHP reference No.	80000617[4]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	1980
Designated CP	August 15, 1995

History

The 1875-built Union Station in 1906

The current station was built in 1911 by the New York Central Railroad along the Boston and Albany Railroad Main Line, during the heyday of railroading in the United States, replacing the previous 1875 station. As a union station, it also served the Providence and Worcester Railroad (which was acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad), the Norwich and Worcester Railroad (acquired by the New York and New England Railroad), the Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad and the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad (which both became part of the Boston and Maine Railroad). Passenger service to Union Station ended by 1974, and the abandoned station fell into disrepair.

Union Station, circa 1920

Subsequently, Union Station was acquired by the Worcester Redevelopment Authority and completely renovated at a cost of $32 million. The station was restored and renovated by Finegold Alexader Architects of Boston, and re-opened in July 2000.[5] An intercity and local bus terminal, with five bus ports, was added at a cost of $5.2 million and opened in August 2006.[6]

Union Station's facilities include the Grand Hall, with original elliptical stained-glass ceilings, interior marble columns and mahogany wood trim, Luciano's Cotton Club, a 1920s gangster-themed restaurant, and the Union Station Parking Garage, which has 500 spaces and direct access to the station.[7] The Cannabis Control Commission established their state headquarters in Union Station in 2019.[8]

There are proposals to extend more frequent passenger service west to Springfield.[9][10]

Second platform

Union Station is accessible and has a single high-level side platform several cars long. It is the only station on the line (other than the three limited-service Newton stations) that can only be served by one train at a time - all other stations have two side platforms or an island platform. This limits the number of daily trains that can serve Worcester, and causes frequent cascading delays. After years of discussion about adding a second platform and extending the side platform to full length, the MBTA approved a two-year, $4 million design contract in October 2018.[11]

Design reached 30% in August 2019. The 820-foot (250 m)-long island platform will have an accessible footbridge at its east end, and stairs and an elevator into a converted storage room to provide direct access from the station building. A crossover east of the station will also be built.[12] The full length of the new platform will have a canopy.[13] Construction is estimated to cost between $40 and $48 million.[14] As of March 2020, construction is expected to last from November 2020 to November 2022 if funding is found. A temporary platform east of the I-290 overpass would be used while the west half of the new platform is constructed; the west half would then be used while the east half is built.[15]

Bus connections

Greyhound Bus Lines and Peter Pan Bus Lines operate intercity bus service from Worcester along major highways. OurBus service to New York City stops next to Union Station, on Franklin Street.

WRTA hub

In April 2012, the Worcester Regional Transit Authority broke ground on a new regional transit hub adjacent to historic Union Station:

When completed, the new 14,000 square foot facility will house the WRTA's administrative offices and its customer service center. Included in the design are a new bus pavilion with an enclosed public waiting area, restroom facilities, ticket vending machines and eight bus slips.[16]

The cost was $14 million, with $10 million coming from the Federal Government and the rest coming from the state.[16][17] The new hub opened in May, 2013.[18]

The hub is served by routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 14, 15, 16, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33, and 42.

References

1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2017, State of Massachusetts" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
2. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
3. "Present Condition of Union Station". The Worcester Magazine. Worcester Massachusetts: Worcester Board of Trade. August 1910. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
4. Worcester County Listings at the National Register of Historic Places
5. http://faainc.com/projects/union-station-intermodal-transportation/
6. Worcester, MA - Union Station/Washington Square Project Archived February 4, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
8. "Cannabis Commission moves ahead with 10-year Worcester Union Station lease". Worcester Telegram. December 17, 2018.
9. Machado, Elisha (September 18, 2017). "Local lawmakers push for feasibility study of Springfield to Boston commuter rail" [Lawmakers are considering bills to improve transportation in Massachusetts]. WWLP.com - Nexstar Media Groupke. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
10. Haddadin, Jim (June 19, 2017). "Lawmakers call for study of high-speed rail to Springfield". GateHouse Media/MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
11. Welker, Grant (October 1, 2018). "MBTA board approves Union Station platform expansion". Worcester Business Journal.
12. "MBTA Worcester Union Station Improvements & Associated Track Work: Stakeholder Meeting" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 6, 2019.
13. "Worcester Union Commuter Rail Station Accessibility Improvements and Associated Track Work" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 10, 2020.
14. Moulton, Cyrus (August 14, 2019). "Faster completion urged for Union Station center platform". Worcester Telegram.
15. Kelly, Maribel (March 10, 2020). "Worcester Union Station Accessibility and Infrastructure Improvements: Stakeholder Meeting" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
16. "Groundbreaking Ceremony for WRTA Transportation Hub". Worcester Regional Transit Authority Homepage. Worcester Regional Transit Authority. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
17. Bock, Linda (April 4, 2012). "New WRTA hub, maintenance garage in the wind". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
18. http://www.therta.com/about/new-hub-construction/ WRTA, Transportation Hub

External links

• MBTA - Worcester
  • MBTA - Worcester Union Station Improvements

• Worcester, MA – Amtrak
• Amtrak - Great American Stations: Worcester, MA (WOR)
• TrainWeb — USA RailGuide: Worcester, MA (WOR)
• Google Maps Street View: Front Street, Harding Street, I-290