Amherst station (Nova Scotia)
Amherst | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() The eastbound Ocean departing the Amherst Railway Station in summer 2006. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | 27 Station Street Amherst, NS Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 45°49′50″N 64°12′46″W / 45.83056°N 64.21278°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Via Rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Structure type | Sign post | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 31 August 1908 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Rebuilt | 1975, 1991, 1992 (minor work) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous names | Canadian National Railway, Intercolonial Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nova Scotia passenger rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Amherst station is an inter-city railway station in Amherst, Nova Scotia served by Via Rail Ocean train.
The station, which opened in 1908, was staffed by Via Rail until October 2012 when the building was closed. Via Rail passenger trains continue to stop at the station, with checked baggage handled by on-train crew members.
In January 2018, the Town of Amherst announced it had reached a purchase agreement with Via. It will take possession of the building and lease it to allow a local entrepreneur for use as a restaurant, with a plan for its eventual transfer to the entrepreneur through a lease-to-own agreement. As part of the agreement, Via passengers will continue to have access to a waiting area and washrooms, and Via will continue to maintain equipment within the building. The Town has also designated it a Municipal Heritage building.[1]
History
[edit]The Intercolonial Railway (ICR) opened its line from Truro to Moncton on 9 November 1872.
Initially the ICR served Amherst passengers from a station constructed of wood on the same site as the present-day structure. The present structure was opened on 31 August 1908 and is constructed of local red sandstone.
In 1918, the ICR was merged into another federal Crown corporation, the Canadian National Railways (CNR), however to this day, local residents still refer to the Amherst Railway Station as the Intercolonial Railway Station.
In 1978, CN transferred responsibility for passenger rail services to another federal Crown corporation, Via Rail. Via is the owner and operator of the station, which serves the 3 days a week Ocean route.
Several minor modifications have been undertaken to the structure in recent decades, including removing the south wing in 1975, replacing the bottom exterior stone in 1991 with stone from the Roman Catholic Church once located on Prince Arthur Street, and in 1992 new metal exterior doors were installed.
References
[edit]- ^ Town of Amherst, Press release: Town, VIA Rail reach tentative deal to save historic Amherst train station Archived 2018-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, January 9, 2018. URL accessed February 21, 2018
External links
[edit]Media related to Amherst railway station at Wikimedia Commons
- Via Rail station page for Amherst station (Nova Scotia)
- 1908 establishments in Nova Scotia
- Railway stations in Canada opened in 1908
- Via Rail stations in Nova Scotia
- Buildings and structures in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
- Transport in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
- Designated heritage railway stations in Canada
- Amherst, Nova Scotia
- Historic buildings and structures in Nova Scotia