Williams Junction was an

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 ...

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 ''

Southwest Chief The ''Southwest Chief'' (formerly the ''Southwest Limited'' and ''Super Chief'') is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest and Southwest via Kansas City, Albuquerque, and Flagsta ...

'' route, located southeast of

Williams, Arizona Williams ( yuf-x-hav, Wii Gvʼul) is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, located west of Flagstaff. Its population was 3,023 at the 2010 census. It lies on the routes of Historic Route 66 and Interstate 40. It is also the southe ...

in the

Kaibab National Forest At 1.6 million acres (650,000 ha) the Kaibab National Forest borders both the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, in north-central Arizona. It is divided into three major sections: the ''North Kaibab Ranger District'' (offices in Fredonia ...

. The station primarily served passengers travelling to the Grand Canyon via the

Grand Canyon Railway The Grand Canyon Railway is a heritage railroad which carries passengers between Williams, Arizona, and the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The railroad, built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, was completed on September 1 ...

History

The first station at Williams Junction was built by Morrison-Knudsen for the

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...

as part of construction of the Crookton Cutoff: a new stretch of the

Southern Transcon The Southern Transcon is a main line of BNSF Railway comprising 11 subdivisions between Southern California and Chicago, Illinois. Completed in its current alignment in 1908 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, when it opened the Belen C ...

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 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 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