Demolition of the Station

All things must come to an end and Union Station was no exception. The flood of 1955 did some damages to the station which triggered calls for its demolition. Though, it was mainly torn down due to lack of business for the rail service. Other passenger lines that hugged the Connecticut coast became more popular which made Willimantic a less popular option for interstate rail travel. By the mid-1900s passenger lines in general became less popular as Americans opted to drive cars. After the station was demolished in 1955 there were plans to build a new smaller passenger stop, but that didn’t come to fruition until 1991. In 1990s the, Montrealer rail service, stopped on a concrete platform slightly further west near Bridge Street. This Platform was the last railroad passenger stop in Willimantic and concludes Union Station’s history.