Groton station was one of the shortest-lived Amtrak passenger rail stations, in service from January to April 1978 during the last incarnation of Amtrak's ''

Clamdigger Clamdigger may refer to: * One who engages in clam digging Clam digging is a North American term for a common way to harvest clams (edible infaunal bivalve mollusks) from below the surface of the tidal sand flats or mud flats where they liv ...

'' service. Previous stations at several locations in Groton were served from 1852 until the mid-20th century.

History

In May 1852, the New London & Stonington was chartered to build a railroad from Stonington to Groton, completing the last major section of the "Shore Line" rail link from Boston to New York City. The NL&S failed in early 1857 and was combined with the

New Haven and New London Railroad The Shore Line Railway was a part of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad system, running east from New Haven, Connecticut, to New London along the north shore of Long Island Sound. It is currently used for commuter service on ConnDOT's ...

into the New Haven, New London, & Stonington Railroad on March 6, 1857. The extension opened to Groton Wharf on December 30, 1858. Previously, passengers had to board steamships from Stonington to Long Island or New York, but after 1858 only short ferry trips over the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

and the Thames River were required. In November 1859 the line was leased to the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad; through passenger service began December 12, 1859, with night trains first running August 19, 1861 and

sleeping car The sleeping car or sleeper (often ) is a railway passenger car (rail), passenger car that can accommodate all passengers in beds of one kind or another, for the purpose of sleeping. George Pullman was the American innovator of the sleeper car. ...

s November 11. When the ''

'' commuter train was revived for the last time on January 8, 1978, Amtrak added commuter-based flag stops at Groton,

Clinton Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has frequently been used as a given ...

, Madison,

Stony Creek Stony Creek may refer to the following waterways or communities: Waterways Australia * Stony Creek, a tributary of the Allyn River, in the Hunter region of New South Wales * Stony Creek, a tributary of the Brogo River, in the South Coast region o ...

, and Branford, in addition to the mainline stations it had served since 1976. It was replaced by the ''

Beacon Hill Beacon Hill may refer to: Places Canada * Beacon Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, a neighbourhood * Beacon Hill Park, a park in Victoria, British Columbia * Beacon Hill, Saskatchewan * Beacon Hill, Montreal, a neighbourhood in Beaconsfield, Quebec United ...

'', which did not stop at Groton, on April 30, 1978. In 2022, the Connecticut Department of Transportation began studying a potential extension of Shore Line East service from to , including a new Groton station.

References

External links

Former Amtrak stations in Connecticut Railway stations in the United States opened in 1978 Buildings and structures in Groton, Connecticut Transportation buildings and structures in New London County, Connecticut 1978 establishments in Connecticut 1978 disestablishments in Connecticut Railway stations in the United States closed in 1978 {{Connecticut-railstation-stub