Wallingford (Amtrak station)

Wallingford is a train station in the city of Wallingford, Connecticut served by Amtrak's Northeast Regional, New Haven – Springfield Shuttle, and the Vermonter. The station is located adjacent to the town green, between Hall Avenue and Quinnipiac Avenue, near where both intersect with Colony Street (U.S. Route 5).

Of the twelve Connecticut stations served by Amtrak, Wallingford was the eleventh busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 40 passengers daily.^[1]

History

The depot at Wallingford was built in 1871 by the Hartford & New Haven Railroad on the Springfield Line, and was built in a manner similar to that of Windsor Station. The interior of the building closed as a station in 1994 and is now used for adult education and the New Haven Model Railroad Club but trains still stop there today. The line through Wallingford was doubled tracked until 1990 when the second track was removed. Today there are 15 passenger trains a day in addition to daily round-trip freight on the Springfield Line during the daytime. Wallingford Station has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1993. There are currently plans by Amtrak and the Connecticut Department of Transportation to add a new service called the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Commuter Rail Line. ConnDOT has stated that the station building will be returned to active service or a new station built half a mile north on Parker Street to accommodate the increased number of passengers.

Mansard Roof

Wallingford's train station has a distinctive mansard roof and is a prominent local landmark. The building is also the site of the city's annual "Celebrate Wallingford" block party.

Connections

• Connecticut Transit Wallingford

References

External links

• Amtrak – Stations – Wallingford, CT
• Wallingford Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)
• "Wallingford, Conn., railroad station, n.d. New Haven Railroad Photographic Negatives Collection (1991-0134.ph115)." - photograph, Railroad History Archive, University of Connecticut Libraries Collection.