Clinton (Shore Line East station)

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Clinton
File:Clinton station with express in distance.JPG
The platform at Clinton looking westbound
Location 10 John Street Extension
Clinton, Connecticut
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Owned by CDOT
Line(s) Northeast Corridor
Platforms 1 side platform
Tracks 2
Connections Local Transit 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   BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg 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 construciton 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

File:1852 Clinton station front.JPG
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

File:Express SLE train passes Clinton.JPG
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

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External links