Clinton (Shore Line East station)

Clinton

The platform at Clinton looking westbound
Location 10 John Street Extension
Clinton, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°16′46″N 72°31′42″W / 41.2794°N 72.5283°W / 41.2794; -72.5283Coordinates: 41°16′46″N 72°31′42″W / 41.2794°N 72.5283°W / 41.2794; -72.5283
Owned by CDOT
Line(s) Northeast Corridor
Platforms 1 side platform
Tracks 2
Connections Estuary Transit District
Construction
Parking Small lot available
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened 1852 (NH&NL),
May 29, 1990 (SLE)
Closed April 30, 1978
Rebuilt 2005
Electrified 25,000V (AC) overhead catenary
Services
Preceding station   ConnDOT   Following station
toward Stamford
Shore Line East
toward New London
  Former services  
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward New Haven
Clamdigger
toward New London

Clinton is a regional rail station served by Shore Line East, located near downtown Clinton, Connecticut. Clinton station consists of a small parking lot and one high-level side platform on the southbound side of the tracks. A second platform is planned to be added, but construction-related bidding has been repeatedly delayed.

Clinton is a commuter-only station; Amtrak's Acela Express and Northeast Regional services run through the station without stopping. Clinton is served by about 11 Shore Line East trains in each direction on weekdays and 5 in each direction on weekends.

History

New Haven Railroad

The original 1852 depot is now a restaurant

The New Haven & New London Railroad was charted in 1848, began construction in 1850, and opened for service in July 1852.[1] A station was located between John Street and Commerce Street (the modern location) in downtown Westbrook.[2] The line was owned by the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad (the "Stonington Road") from 1858 to 1862, and by the Shore Line Railway from 1864 until it was acquired by the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad (the "New Haven") in 1870.[1] The New Haven continued local service along the route for nearly another century. Commuter service east of New Haven ceased on January 1, 1969, after the New Haven merged into Penn Central.

The 1852-built depot, similar to others built by the New Haven & New London, still stands on West Main Street. It was replaced by a new station, similar to others along the Shore Line, in the 1890s when the line was moved slightly to realign a curve, though it was used for freight until the 1950s.[3] The newer station was demolished around the time that Clamdigger service was discontinued on April 30, 1978.[4]

From 1910 to 1919, the Shore Line Electric Railway operated local trolley service from New Haven to Old Saybrook and Deep River. The line ran on Main Street (US-1) in Clinton, offering a convenient transfer from mainline rail service.

Shore Line East

An express train passes the 2005-built platform at Clinton

The modern Clinton station opened at the beginning of Shore Line East service on May 29, 1990. A small low-level platform and parking lot were located at John Street, almost exactly where the town's first station was located. Like the other original 1990 Shore Line East stations, this station was built before the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed, and its low-level platform was not handicapped accessible.

Beginning on May 24, 2004, construction of a new platform began at Clinton as well as Guilford and Branford.[5] The rebuilt Clinton station, with a 200-foot-long high-level platform on the south side of the tracks, opened on July 25, 2005.[6]

A 2003 agreement between the Connecticut Department of Transportation (which operates Shore Line East) and Amtrak (who owns the tracks) included a requirement that all Shore Line East stations have second platforms added before Shore Line East service could be increased.[7] Having two platforms allows SLE trains to use both tracks, providing greater operational flexibility. Per the agreement with Amtrak, a second platform is planned to be added to Clinton station. The project was originally planned to start in early 2012, but was indefinitely delayed in 2011.[8] By mid-2012 the project was to be advertised to bidders in June 2013, but this has now been delayed indefinitely.[9][10]

Transit connections

References

  1. 1 2 Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 94–96. ISBN 0942147022.
  2. ↑ Bailey & Co. (1881). "View of Clinton, Connecticut 1881.". UConn Libraries. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  3. ↑ Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 41. ISBN 9780942147087.
  4. ↑ Belletzkie, Bob. "CT Passenger Stations, CL-CR". Tyler City Station. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  5. ↑ "Work on several Shore Line East stations scheduled to begin May 24th" (PDF). Rideworks Review. 17 May 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2005. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  6. ↑ "Station Info: Clinton". Shore Line East. Connecticut Department of Transportation. 25 July 2005. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  7. ↑ "Expanding Rail Service" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. 1 January 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  8. ↑ "Public Information Meeting Regarding Improvements to the Clinton Shore Line East Railroad Station". Connecticut Department of Transportation. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  9. ↑ "State Projects Scheduled for Advertising: August 2012 through July 2013" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. 10 August 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  10. ↑ Garrety, Karina (9 April 2014). "Clinton Train Station on Hold". Harbor News. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
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