Westerly, RI | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Westerly station from the southbound platform in 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 14 Railroad Avenue Westerly, Rhode Island United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°22′52″N71°49′48″W / 41.3812°N 71.8299°W /41.3812; -71.8299 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Amtrak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line | AmtrakNortheast Corridor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2side platforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | Amtrak:WLY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1837 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1872 1912-13[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FY 2025 | 58,289[2] (Amtrak) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Westerly station is a passenger rail station on theNortheast Corridor located just north of downtownWesterly, Rhode Island. It is served exclusively byAmtrak'sNortheast Regional service.
Westerly is one of a small number of Amtrak stations (along withMystic andAberdeen) on the Northeast Corridor that does not have high-level platforms for accessible boarding. However, Westerly is still handicapped accessible; passengers may use a portable lift to board trains, and the under-track passage includes a wheelchair lift on its staircases. Westerly is also one of three Northeast Corridor stations (along with adjacent Mystic to the south andKingston to the north) that is served exclusively by Amtrak, with no commuter rail service, though there have been proposals to extendCTrail'sShore Line East service to Westerly.
Amtrak'sAcela also passes by this station, but does not stop.
The Westerly station opened along with theNew York, Providence and Boston Railroad on November 17, 1837. The original depot was a small wooden structure, similar to those still extant at nearby Noank and West Mystic.[1] In 1872, a new station - similar to those still standing atKingston andEast Greenwich - was constructed. It had a pedestrian tunnel (passenger subway) for passengers to reach the westbound platform and shelter.[1]
In 1912–13, theNew York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad constructed the present station as part of a curve straightening project. The station building was in theSpanish Colonial Revival style, as were several other New Haven Railroad stations (includingBuzzards Bay) built around the same time.[4][1] The project included the station building, a new pedestrian tunnel, a westbound shelter that enclosed a tunnel entrance, and a shelter for the tunnel entrance on the eastbound side.[1] A two-story brick freight house, now occupied by Westerly Agway, was constructed the same year.[1]
The New Haven Railroad was at that time planning to expand the Northeast Corridor to four tracks along much of the route from New Haven to Boston, especially at busy stations. The bridge abutments to the west of the station over Canal Street and thePawcatuck River were built for four tracks, although only two-track bridges were ever built. The line was rebuilt for three tracks from just east of the station to just west ofBradford, Rhode Island, with three-track bridges and cuts.[5] A maintenance road now occupies the third track slot.
The station received a $2 million renovation in 1998 that restored it to its original state. As part of the project, a lift system was installed in the passenger subway to make the station handicapped accessible.[4][1]
Amtrak closed the Westerly ticket office on October 1, 2016, ceasing all ticketing and passenger assistance services.[6][7] The building was reopened on August 17, 2018; the waiting area serves as an art gallery and is open on certain days of the week, and for special events.[8][9][10]
Weekday stopping service was scheduled to increase from three northbound and four southbound trains to six northbound and five southbound trains on March 16, 2020.[11] However, on that date Amtrak temporarily reduced Northeast Corridor service due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[12]
Work began in early 2020 on accessibility improvements at Westerly, including two elevators to replace existing incline lifts in the stairways to the under-track passage.[13] The work was completed in July 2022.[14]
