The first station in New Haven, designed by Henry Austin, was opened by The New York and New Haven Railroad in 1848. The New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad built a new station in 1875, which served the city until it burned to the ground in May 1918. This resulted in the construction of the current iteration of Union Station in 1920.

Designed by famed American architect Cass Gilbert, the 1920 station is the same station that is utilized by thousands of passengers today. This station served the public for over 5 decades until it fell into difficult times post World War II and the decline of the US railroad industry.

In 1973, the property was optioned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, who decided to shutter the main building in an attempt to cut costs. This left only the station platforms and connecting tunnels open to passengers.

The Union Station New Haven building was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1975. (See original application here.)

Plans for rehabilitating and improving the station began in 1982 when the state of Connecticut signed an agreement with the city of New Haven and The New Haven Parking Authority to reopen the station. The project began in March of 1983 and included restoration of the original building as well as the addition of the parking garage. The building was reopened to passengers in 1985.

Currently New Haven’s Union Station is one of Connecticut’s most important travel hubs, servicing millions of travelers coming to and from the New Haven area yearly. There are three primary operators providing rail service at New Haven Union Station (Amtrak, Metro-North, and CTRail), as well as many bus and shuttle lines. Union Station is one of the nation’s busiest in Amtrak’s rail network.