Williams Junction was an Amtrak train station on the '' Southwest Chief'' route, located southeast of Williams, Arizona in the Kaibab National Forest. The station primarily served passengers travelling to the

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

via the Grand Canyon Railway.

History

The first station at Williams Junction was built by Morrison-Knudsen for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway as part of construction of the Crookton Cutoff: a new stretch of the Southern Transcon built to avoid the sharp curves and steep gradients of the existing line between Williams and Ash Fork. With the new route bypassing the town of Williams completely, Williams Junction replaced the downtown

Williams Depot Williams Depot is a privately owned train station in Williams, Arizona. It is the southern terminus of the Grand Canyon Railway line. History The first railroad in Williams was the western division of the transcontinental railroad built by the ...

as the connection point between main line transcontinental services and Santa Fe trains to and from the Grand Canyon (trains 14 and 15). The station officially opened on December 18, 1960. Williams Depot remained open for the

Hassayampa Flyer The Hassayampa Flyer, also known as the Hassayampa Chief, was a passenger train operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway between Ash Fork (later Williams Junction) and Phoenix in Arizona, United States. History In 1955, the Sa ...

service between Williams Junction and Phoenix via Ash Fork and the Peavine route (trains 42 and 47). Both Williams stations closed on April 30, 1969 following the Santa Fe's discontinuation of passenger services to the Grand Canyon and Phoenix via the Peavine. The station building at Williams Junction remained standing for a few years following its closure, but was eventually demolished. The spur from the Southern Transcon and the line through downtown Williams were retained for freight services. Following the successful regeneration of the former Santa Fe line to the Grand Canyon as a privately operated tourist venture in 1989, Amtrak introduced a stop at Williams Junction on their ''Southwest Chief'' route to connect with Grand Canyon Railway services. The new station opened on August 2, 1999. Unlike its predecessor, the modern Williams Junction had no station building or facilities, and no private access for motor vehicles. Passengers were transferred to downtown Williams via a Thruway Motorcoach shuttle provided by the Grand Canyon Railway. The collection and drop-off point was the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel adjacent to the refurbished Williams Depot, now the southern terminus of the Grand Canyon line.

Closure

In 2017, the Grand Canyon Railway announced they would be discontinuing their provision of a shuttle to connect passengers on the ''Southwest Chief'' with their hotel in Williams, leaving the long-term viability of Williams Junction unclear. The station closed on January 1, 2018. To accommodate passengers requiring a connection to the Grand Canyon, Amtrak introduced a new Thruway bus service to and from Flagstaff.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams Junction (Amtrak Station) Buildings and structures in Coconino County, Arizona Transportation in Coconino County, Arizona Williams, Arizona Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway stations in Arizona Railway stations in the United States opened in 1960 Former Amtrak stations in Arizona Railway stations closed in 2018 1960 establishments in New Mexico