Which are the nicest Amtrak stations?

NorthWest wrote: Salem, OR is quaint and dutifully restored to original greatness, and feels bigger than it is (as it was designed that way).

I never understood why SP built that station so big...I think SP had 8 trains a day thru there?

AgentSkelly wrote:

NorthWest wrote: Salem, OR is quaint and dutifully restored to original greatness, and feels bigger than it is (as it was designed that way).

I never understood why SP built that station so big...I think SP had 8 trains a day thru there?

Did the SP Electrics ever serve that station in Salem? Might have been more than 8 trains a day a century ago. If SP Electric never served Salem, it might still have been built with that in mind

King St station is very attractive, love it. The problem is the bizarre boarding process.thats probably my favorite outside the nec although both la and Portland have very nice stations. I'd nominate 30th as the overall best when you take passenger flow and train movement into consideration.
Mke is my favorite new station

shadyjay wrote:I've always liked New Haven, CT. I've taken many trains from there, not just Amtrak but also Metro North and Shore Line East. A large waiting area with benches, and amenities lined on both sides (food service/newsstand on one side, tickets and info on the other). I'd park myself in front of the old Solari board and watch it while waiting for my train.

I'll second you on New Haven. Only thing that detracts from it in my opinion is that the food options, while present, aren't very good. The fact that the main station in a city famous for its pizza can only offer you a Sbarro is an absolute disgrace.

The EGE wrote:* Kingston (RI) dates from 1875, but isn't currently used by Amtrak.

It isn't? I haven't had cause to step inside the station building in a couple of years, but it certainly used to have a ticket agent who I always assumed was an Amtrak employee.

A quick look at the schedules on Amtrak.com shows plenty of service at Kingston, with regionals stopping there almost every hour.

The EGE wrote:New London is a real gem. Beautifully restored 1887-built station - the oldest station building on the Northeast Corridor still actively used by Amtrak*, and one of the oldest Amtrak stations in the country - designed by the great H.H. Richardson. Ticket office, seating, and a cafe inside. Nice riverfront views from the platforms. And it's in a nice little downtown area that's become quite charming in the last decade.

* Kingston (RI) dates from 1875, but isn't currently used by Amtrak.

Oldest on the NEC, does anyone know if there are older stations used by Amtrak nationally?

Hudson NY is older and in use.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_station" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I know Boston South Station has been mentioned, but I thought I'd share a photo I took in the Acela lounge the one time I rode sleeper in the LSL (but only to Syracuse, so I didn't actually sleep ).
I swear that crown molding is at least a foot deep.

South Station certainly a well restored station. The only thing, IMHO, that's kind of a turn off is the garish advertising that's on the floors, stairs, the walls, etc. I also like the Mystic CT station, with a recently opened coffee shop inside where you can also purchase your tickets at the quik track machine while enjoying your coffee, sandwiches, etc. Also the tables have old train schedules as part of the motif!

bdawe wrote:

AgentSkelly wrote:

NorthWest wrote: Salem, OR is quaint and dutifully restored to original greatness, and feels bigger than it is (as it was designed that way).

I never understood why SP built that station so big...I think SP had 8 trains a day thru there?

Did the SP Electrics ever serve that station in Salem? Might have been more than 8 trains a day a century ago. If SP Electric never served Salem, it might still have been built with that in mind

Salem is the State Capitol, which could explain why SP built a larger station. It's of similar design to SP stations in Sacramento, Stockton and San Jose, albeit smaller than those owing to the significantly fewer trains.

No, Salem was not served by the Red Electrics. There was a plan for SP to build a new electrified mainline alongside its steam mainline (in order to better compete with the James J. Hill controlled Oregon Electric, and to serve the larger cities of Salem and Eugene), but it never happened. The closest SP got to Salem with the Red Electrics was Gerlinger, approximately 10 miles west of Salem, and the Falls City Branch provided a rail connection from Gerlinger into Salem.

wigwagfan wrote:
Salem is the State Capitol, which could explain why SP built a larger station. It's of similar design to SP stations in Sacramento, Stockton and San Jose, albeit smaller than those owing to the significantly fewer trains.

No, Salem was not served by the Red Electrics. There was a plan for SP to build a new electrified mainline alongside its steam mainline (in order to better compete with the James J. Hill controlled Oregon Electric, and to serve the larger cities of Salem and Eugene), but it never happened. The closest SP got to Salem with the Red Electrics was Gerlinger, approximately 10 miles west of Salem, and the Falls City Branch provided a rail connection from Gerlinger into Salem.

There's a name I haven't heard in ages...Gerlinger!

And now you mention it, yeah, the station does follow that same SP style in those cities...

And while now Seattle King Street is lovely and restored to its greatness, I was always puzzled why BNSF when it owned the station had it made up like an 80's efficiency office. Well, apparently talking to an retired BN plant and facilities manager, he told me that Amtrak actually didn't intend to use King Street and wanted to use Union Pacific's Union Station one block over, but Union Pacific said no as they intended to close up shop and pull up the tracks.

AgentSkelly wrote:And while now Seattle King Street is lovely and restored to its greatness, I was always puzzled why BNSF when it owned the station had it made up like an 80's efficiency office. Well, apparently talking to an retired BN plant and facilities manager, he told me that Amtrak actually didn't intend to use King Street and wanted to use Union Pacific's Union Station one block over, but Union Pacific said no as they intended to close up shop and pull up the tracks.

But only King Street Station was a through-station. Union Station was (I thought) stub-end only. And sure, while service to the Everett, Vancouver, and Stephen's Pass were not part of the initial system plan, surely Amtrak planners would want to keep that possibility open?

bdawe wrote: But only King Street Station was a through-station. Union Station was (I thought) stub-end only. And sure, while service to the Everett, Vancouver, and Stephen's Pass were not part of the initial system plan, surely Amtrak planners would want to keep that possibility open?

That is a good question; my guess was that later on, a connecting platform of some sort could of been built to access the BN tracks from Union Station.

However, Apparently, King Street was to be BN offices after passenger services, which is why it had the awful 70s efficiency office look for decades.