Staffed to Unstaffed Stations Master Thread

[AmtrakLKL]

Thought it might be time for a Master Thread of stations moving from Staffed to Unstaffed status as it seems to be an increasingly frequent event. Perhaps mods will find this worthy of a pin.

I've gone back and gathered as many stations as I can recall and Google search for in the past couple years. If anyone has anything to add or correct, drop it in the thread and I'll put it on this list:

* Last updated 06/19/2018 with corrections. La Junta and Lamy closure dates pushed back to 7/9 and 8/3, respectively.

* Updated 7/05/2018 with no-notice closure of Flint, MI.

* Updated 8/15/2018 with Trainside Checked Baggage/Baggage Lite notes

Code City State Date Unstaffed Notes
LMY Lamy NM 08/03/2018
LAJ La Junta CO 07/08/2018 Eff. July 8, open Mon-Fri for ticketing only. No checked baggage service.
FLN Flint MI 07/05/2018
MHL Marshall TX 06/29/2018
CHW Charleston WV 06/08/2018
CIN Cincinnati OH 06/08/2018
SBY Shelby MT 06/03/2018
HAV Havre MT 06/01/2018
HMD Hammond LA 05/26/2018 * Baggage Lite Service
MEI Meridian MS 05/26/2018 * Baggage Lite Service
TCL Tuscaloosa AL 05/26/2018 * Baggage Lite Service
TOP Topeka KS 05/20/2018
OTM Ottumwa IA 05/19/2018
GCK Garden City KS 05/17/2018
FMD Ft. Madison IA 05/16/2018
TXA Texarkana AR 05/16/2018
HMD Hammond LA 05/15/2018
JXN Jackson MI 04/03/2018
NLS Niles MI 04/03/2018
MRC Maricopa AZ 02/12/2018
GRV Greenville SC 06/15/2017
SBG Sebring FL 06/01/2017
MTP Mount Pleasant IA 05/17/2017
CBS Columbus WI 04/28/2017 * Baggage Lite Service
HUN Huntington WV 12/19/2016
WIN Winona MN 12/07/2016
BBY Back Bay MA 10/01/2016
WLY Westerly RI 10/01/2016
ALT Altoona PA 09/29/2016 (update - as of 8/30/19, ALT station still staffed)
JST Johnstown PA 09/29/2016
WPT Wolf Point MT 07/01/2016
RUG Rugby ND 06/01/2016
GLN Glenview IL 05/09/2016
PRC Prince WV 04/18/2016
BER Berlin CT 03/04/2016
MDN Meriden CT 03/04/2016
WOR Worcester MA 11/25/2015 * Baggage Lite Service
HAS Hastings NE 07/13/2015
GFK Grand Forks ND 06/01/2015


The following stations are still staffed for ticket sales and assistance, but discontinued checked baggage and express service:

Code City State Date No Bags Notes
DFB Deerfield Beach FL 08/30/2017
HOL Hollywood FL 08/30/2017

The following stations closed completely:

Code    City        State    Date Closed    Notes
SFD    Sanford-Regular    FL    08/01/2005      Silver Service/Sunset Ltd - Previously Staffed before closing

 

[railiner]

Columbus, Ohio?? They haven't even had a train since the National Limited ended service almost 40 years ago...

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

Columbus, Ohio?? They haven't even had a train since the National Limited ended service almost 40 years ago...

It should be Columbus, WI. In addition, it should be Westerly, RI (not MA) and Rugby, ND (not MT).

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Amtrak stations aren't just being closed or abandoned, they're packing up and moving out of state.

 

[AmtrakLKL]

Columbus, Ohio?? They haven't even had a train since the National Limited ended service almost 40 years ago...

Columbus, Ohio?? They haven't even had a train since the National Limited ended service almost 40 years ago...

It should be Columbus, WI. In addition, it should be Westerly, RI (not MA) and Rugby, ND (not MT).

Fixed, thank you.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

Amtrak stations aren't just being closed or abandoned, they're packing up and moving out of state.

Las Vegas moved theirs to New Mexico LOL.

What state did Nashville move their train station to?

 

[user 14106]

Columbus, Ohio?? They haven't even had a train since the National Limited ended service almost 40 years ago...

It should be Columbus, WI. In addition, it should be Westerly, RI (not MA) and Rugby, ND (not MT).

Sadly to my knowledge at Westerly RI they never reopened the station with a volunteer caretaker. The station building remains closed. Last I heard they still werent sure what to do with the building.

 

[KnightRail]

WPT Wolf Point MT 07/01/2016

RUG Rugby ND 06/01/2016

GLN Glenview IL 05/09/2016

BER Berlin CT 03/04/2016

MDN Meriden CT 03/04/2016

WIN Winona MN 12/07/2015

WOR Worcester MA 11/25/2015

GFK Grand Forks ND 06/01/2015

 

[KnightRail]

RVR Richmond VA 05/07/2018*

*Changes from 24hours to 5:30a-10:30p daily,

Train #98 4:22am, No more checked baggage or inside waiting room.

 

[neroden]

The big problem is the loss of checked baggage service, which is genuinely popular and low-cost to Amtrak. The trainside checked baggage pilot was good, but I think Mr. Anderson doesn't know about it.

 

[Walt]

To me, there is a difference between a station that is locked shut, and a station that is open (waiting room, bathrooms, etc) but staffed by volunteers.

 

[Lonestar648]

The caretaker/volunteer isn't always part of Amtrak. They can be part of the city, historical group, county, etc. so are arrange by that organization. Many times the caretaker is never seen except to lock and unlock the station.

 

[Seaboard92]

The volunteer caretaker for Camden, SC never even comes to unlock the door. I met her once when I was aiding Amtrak in unloading an entire Silver Star there after a truck strike. Honestly I would do a better job at being a caretaker and being IATA certified. I could sell tickets too. But my life is far too hectic to do that.

And after all of Anderson's cuts I'm not really wanting to help Amtrak any.

 

[user 14106]

Depends on station ownership too. Seems like theres a wide range in scope of what volunteers/caretakers do depending on the station with some literally just locking/unlocking to some cleaning all the way up to More involved setups where volunteers will staff the former ticket office as an information desk during times when trains arrive and depart and answer questions, provide updates, announce train boarding, and sometimes even assist passengers with baggage. Pretty wide range depending on the station and availability/enthusiasm of volunteers.

 

[Seaboard92]

The best example of Volunteer station host has to be Olympia, WA. They've never missed a train since they've been open. And that includes in severe weather. Now that I find impressive.

 

[railiner]

Isn't the Downeaster route mostly volunteer's, as well?

 

[Bob Dylan]

The best example of Volunteer station host has to be Olympia, WA. They've never missed a train since they've been open. And that includes in severe weather. Now that I find impressive.

This!

 

[gswager]

I'm impressed with Olympia station manned by volunteers despite the mess when the Cascades was forced to stop and turned around during our AU Gathering last year

 

[MikeM]

Gainesville TX has a really nice unstaffed station. Too bad it's never unlocked when I've traveled from there. When I started riding the train down here, I would go there to catch the Heartland Flyer, then connect to the Eagle. But since I don't like standing outside in the rain like the last two times I rode the train, I started picking it up in Fort Worth.

 

[Chey]

Gainesville TX has a really nice unstaffed station. Too bad it's never unlocked when I've traveled from there. When I started riding the train down here, I would go there to catch the Heartland Flyer, then connect to the Eagle. But since I don't like standing outside in the rain like the last two times I rode the train, I started picking it up in Fort Worth.

That's a shame - I liked the Gainesville station too. And the town. I used to stay there overnight just to catch the next day's train down to FTW.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Quite of a few of the stations that are losing their staffs are under review for train side, baggage lite service.

 

[Lonestar648]

Any details of what "Baggage Lite" would involve surface yet?

 

[TiBike]

Bikes?

 

[neroden]

Quite of a few of the stations that are losing their staffs are under review for train side, baggage lite service.

Good.

It's still absurd for *Cincy* to lose staffing. This is not some small town. The only reason it has low ridership is the damn three-a-week nonsense; get the Cardinal daily and watch it boom.

 

[dogbert617]

I remember when I was very briefly in Elkhart, IN earlier this year and walked around its downtown, there was a note that the station house is unlocked during hours the station has Amtrak trains arriving and leaving that station. Which are Capitol Limited(Chicago-DC), and Lake Shore Limited(Chicago-Boston-NYC). So I get the sense that this station was a volunteer station where a caretaker opens up and closes that station, during hours Amtrak trains serve Elkhart. Station looked historic, and in nice shape btw.