South Portsmouth–South Shore station is an
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
intercity rail
Inter-city rail services are Express train, express trains that run services that connect cities over longer distances than Commuter rail, commuter or Regional rail, regional trains. They include rail services that are neither short-distance co ...
station in
South Shore, Kentucky. It primarily serves the city of
Portsmouth, Ohio
Portsmouth is a city in Scioto County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in southern Ohio south of Chillicothe, Ohio, Chillicothe, it lies on the north bank of the Ohio River, across from Kentucky and just east of the mouth of th ...
, located across the
Ohio River
The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
.
History

In pre-Amtrak years several C&O trains served a different station in Portsmouth: ''
Fast Flying Virginian'' (west to
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
, and sections east to
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, and
Newport News), ''
George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
'' (sections west to Cincinnati and
Louisville
Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
, and sections east to Washington, D.C. and Newport News) and the ''
Sportsman'' (northwest to
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, and sections east to Washington, D.C., and Newport News).
Norfolk & Western trains called at another station in Portsmouth: ''
Pocahantas'' (Cincinnati and Columbus –
Norfolk
Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
) and ''
Powhatan Arrow'' (Cincinnati – Norfolk).
The station was opened as a
flag stop
In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a bus stop, stop or train station, station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or drop ...
for the ''
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...
'' and ''
Mountaineer
Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...
'' on June 15, 1976.
Service to the stop was suspended on April 29, 1979, but resumed on April 27, 1980.
In January 2011, the station was made
accessible (with a wheelchair lift) using
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. The original shelter, built when the station opened in 1976, was replaced by a brick structure in early 2023. In addition to the new station building, improvements include new lighting and fencing as well as a new concrete platform with tactile edging replacing the original asphalt platform.
References
External links
Amtrak stations in Kentucky
Transportation buildings and structures in Greenup County, Kentucky
Former Chesapeake and Ohio Railway stations
{{Kentucky-railstation-stub