Platforms 1 side platform Connections PVTA: 30, 45 Rebuilt 1992 | Tracks 1 Parking 8 spaces (free) | |
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Location 13 Railroad Street
Amherst, Massachusetts Line(s) Vermonter (ended December 28, 2014) Similar Mill River Conservation Area, Waterbury station, Holyoke station, Needham Heights, Lake Ohrid | ||
Amherst is a closed intercity rail station in Amherst, Massachusetts formerly served by the Amtrak Vermonter. It is located at 13 Railroad Street off Main Street, and served the downtown area along with Amherst College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The station was closed on December 28, 2014, after which the Vermonter was rerouted to the faster Conn River Line several miles to the west.
History
The station was originally built in 1853 by the New London Northern, located several blocks east of the town center. (The Central Massachusetts Railroad, which shared trackage with the NLN south of Amherst, had its own station located on South Pleasant Street.) Passenger service on the line (by then long under the Central Vermont Railroad) ended in 1966; the station was modified for other uses.
In 1989, the Montrealer (which had been discontinued in 1987 due to poor track conditions on the Conn River Line in Massachusetts and the CV in Vermont) was restored on a routing via Amherst, with a stop there. The building, which is privately owned, was restored to its original condition in 1992. The interior was split between a passenger waiting area and a commercial space. In 1995, the Montrealer was cut back to St. Albans and renamed as the Vermonter.
In 2014, the Conn River Line was rebuilt for renewed passenger service. On December 29, 2014, the Vermonter was rerouted to that line, serving stops at Northampton and Greenfield. The last day of service to Amherst was December 28.
Amherst is a possible stop on the Central Corridor Rail Line, a proposed intercity route from New London to Brattleboro