Union Station in Worcester, Massachusetts

Union Station in Worcester, Massachusetts, is a historic railway station located at 2 Washington Square in the downtown area. Opened on June 4, 1911, it was designed by Philadelphia architects Watson & Huckel in a French Renaissance Revival style, featuring a grand main waiting room with an elliptical stained-glass ceiling, marble columns, and mahogany trim. Originally built for the Boston and Albany Railroad, it also served other lines like the New York, New Haven and Hartford, and Boston and Maine railroads. The station’s iconic twin 175-foot white marble towers, which flanked the entrance, were removed in 1926 due to structural issues caused by train vibrations, but replicas made of fiberglass were added during a restoration in 2000.

Today, Union Station is a bustling intermodal transportation hub. It serves as the western terminus of the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line, with 40 weekday trains and 18 on weekends, and is a stop for Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited, connecting Boston to Chicago. The adjacent bus terminal is a hub for Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) local routes, as well as intercity services from Greyhound, Peter Pan, and others. The station has undergone significant accessibility upgrades, including a new 820-foot center island platform opened in July 2024, designed by HDR for the MBTA. This platform, constructed from fiber-reinforced polymer, allows two trains to serve the station simultaneously, doubling capacity and improving accessibility with a pedestrian bridge and tunnel connections.

The station’s history reflects Worcester’s evolution as a rail hub since the mid-19th century. After decades of decline post-World War II, it closed in 1974 and fell into disrepair. The Worcester Redevelopment Authority acquired it in 1994, and a $32 million renovation by Finegold Alexander & Associates restored its grandeur, reopening it in July 2000. Beyond transportation, Union Station hosts Luciano’s Cotton Club, a 1920s-themed restaurant, and the Cannabis Control Commission’s state headquarters since 2019. Its Grand Hall, accommodating up to 600 people, is a venue for events like weddings and conferences, managed by Maxwell-Silverman’s Banquet and Conference Center. With a 500-space parking garage and ongoing improvements, Union Station remains a vital and elegant landmark in Worcester’s re-emerging downtown.