Guilford station

Guilford is a regional rail station on the Northeast Corridor, located slightly south of the town center of Guilford, Connecticut. Owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, it is served by the Shore Line East service.

Guilford
Westbound Shore Line East train at Guilford in 2015
Location	325 Old Whitfield Street Guilford, Connecticut
Coordinates	41.2756°N 72.6736°W
Owned by	ConnDOT
Line(s)	Northeast Corridor
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	May 29, 1990
Rebuilt	November 28, 2005
Services
Preceding station ConnDOT Following station Branford toward Stamford Shore Line East Madison toward Old Saybrook or New London
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Leete's Island toward New Haven Clamdigger Discontinued 1972 Madison toward New London Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station Leete's Island toward New Haven Shore Line East River toward Boston

History

Derelict water tower and engine house at Guilford

Service to Guilford was begun by the New Haven and New London Railroad in 1852. Most local service ended in the mid 20th century; however, Guilford was a stop on the final local train, the Clamdigger, until service was discontinued on January 28, 1972.[1][2] The station building was demolished by Amtrak on February 23, 2000, due to concerns that the long-abandoned building might collapse.[3] A derelict brick water tower and engine house–rare surviving examples of mid-19th-century railroad buildings–remain at the site.

The current station, with ADA-compliant high-level side platforms, opened on November 28, 2005, replacing the low-level platforms constructed in 1990 for the inauguration of Shore Line East service on May 29, 1990.[4]

Ridership increases have rendered the parking lot at Guilford insufficient. 90 spaces were added on the Track 1 side of the Guilford station.[5]

Guilford Center was not the only part of Guilford with a train station. Leete's Island station, located off Route 146 near the Branford line, served the Penn Central and later Amtrak Clamdigger service until 1972. Sachem's Head station, which was also located off Route 146 closer to Guilford Center, was closed in 1969.

Station layout

Guilford has two high-level side platforms, each two cars long. Before 10:00am, westbound trains use Track 4 and eastbound trains use Track 1. After 10:00 am, westbound trains use Track 1 and eastbound use Track 4. On weekends, all trains stop on Track 4 in both directions.[6]

M	Mezzanine	Crossover between platforms
P Platform level	Side platform, doors will open on the left or right
	Track 1	←      Shore Line East toward New Haven Union Station or Stamford (Branford) ←      Shore Line East toward Old Saybrook or New London (Madison) → ←      Amtrak services do not stop here →
	Track 2	←      Amtrak services do not stop here →
	Track 4	←      Amtrak services do not stop here → ←      Shore Line East toward New Haven Union Station or Stamford (Branford) ←      Shore Line East toward Old Saybrook or New London (Madison) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the left or right
G	Street level	Exit/entrance and parking

References

1. National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) (July 12, 1971). "Nationwide Schedules of Intercity Passenger Service". p. 6 – via The Museum of Railway Timetables.
2. Baer, Christopher T. (June 2005). "PRR CHRONOLOGY: 1972" (PDF). Pennsylvania Technical and Historical Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 25, 2012.
3. "News Updates, as of June 30, 2000". Shore Line East Riders' Association. June 30, 2000. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016.
4. "Shore Line East/What's New". October 1, 2008. Archived from the original on October 1, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
5. "Parking Problems". Railpace Newsmagazine. August 2008.
6. http://www.shorelineeast.com/images/docs/SLE-Timetable.pdf#view=FitH

External links

• Shore Line East - Guilford