Meriden Transit Center is a

train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing s ...

on the

New Haven–Springfield Line The New Haven–Springfield Line is a railroad line owned by Amtrak from New Haven, Connecticut, north to Springfield, Massachusetts. As a branch of the Northeast Corridor just north of New Haven State Street station, it is served by approximate ...

located in Meriden, Connecticut. It is served by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

's , , and , in addition to

Hartford Line The Hartford Line is a commuter rail service between New Haven, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts, using the Amtrak-owned New Haven–Springfield Line. The project is a joint venture between the states of Connecticut and Massachuset ...

commuter rail service, consisting of

Connecticut Department of Transportation The Connecticut Department of Transportation (often referred to as CTDOT and occasionally ConnDOT, or CDOT) is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports and waterways in Connecticut. ...

and

trains. The station was rebuilt from 2014 to 2017 for the Hartford Line service, which began on June 16, 2018.

History

The

Hartford and New Haven Railroad The Hartford and New Haven Railroad (H&NH), chartered in 1833, was the first railroad built in the state of Connecticut and an important direct predecessor of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The company was formed to connect the ...

opened from New Haven to Meriden in December 1838, and to Hartford in December 1839. The initial station was "shed-like"; services were moved to Conklin's Hotel in 1840 and the Rodgers Building in 1842. The

New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...

built a brick

colonial revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...

station in 1942. The city demolished that station and built a one-story brick station in 1970 as part of a downtown revitalization program.

Reconstruction

The station was reconstructed for use by

commuter service, which began operation on June 16, 2018. The new station, located on the site of the 1970-built station, has two

accessible Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...

six car long, high-level

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platform ...

s connected by an overhead pedestrian bridge. It is not staffed, heated, or equipped with toilet facilities. It has 65 surface parking spaces, and 225 spaces reserved for Hartford Line customers in a nearby garage. Demolition of an adjacent building to make room for the parking lot began in October 2014. The ticket office in the 1970-built station building was closed on March 4, 2016, and the station building itself closed for demolition on March 12. The old platform was replaced by a temporary boarding area on March 28, 2016. The frame of the new station was completed in July 2016. The rebuilt Meriden station opened on November 19, 2017, though final construction lasted until December 18. File:Meriden station 1908 postcard.jpg, The 1882-built station on a 1908 postcard File:Meriden station from platform, December 2015.JPG, The 1970-built station in 2015 File:Temporary platform at Meriden station, December 2016.JPG, Temporary platform used in 2016–17 File:New pedestrian bridge at Meriden station under construction, December 2016.JPG, New station under construction in 2016

Connections

CT Transit route C5 bus at Meriden station, December 2016

Meriden is served by bus routes on three local systems: * Connecticut Transit Meriden: 561, 563, 564, 565, 566 *

Connecticut Transit New Haven Connecticut Transit New Haven is the second largest division of Connecticut Transit, providing service on 24 routes in 19 towns within the Greater New Haven and Lower Naugatuck River Valley areas, with connections to other CT Transit routes in ...

: 215M/215Mx *

Middletown Area Transit Middletown Area Transit, popularly known as MAT, was the provider of public transportation serving Middletown, Connecticut, as well as portions of Cromwell, Durham, East Hampton and Portland. The area routes connect with CTtransit Hartford's 5 ...

: M-Link

References

External links

Meriden – Hartford Line
{{Hartford Line stations navbox Amtrak stations in Connecticut Stations on the New Haven–Springfield Line Buildings and structures in Meriden, Connecticut Railroad stations in New Haven County, Connecticut Railway stations in the United States opened in 1838 Railway stations in the United States opened in 2017