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Durham-UNH (Amtrak station)
Encyclopedia
The railroad station in Durham, New Hampshire
, serves the Amtrak
Downeaster
and is situated west of downtown Durham on the campus of the University of New Hampshire
(UNH). The station was originally built in 1896 in Lynn, Massachusetts
, and was moved to the present site in Durham when the Boston and Maine Railroad
moved its tracks further from the center of campus. The track realignment was influenced by a 1905 train accident on campus. Passenger train service run by the Boston and Maine was ended in Durham in 1958, and regular service returned with the opening of the Downeaster in December 2001. The station is owned by the university, but an adjacent parking area is managed by the town of Durham.
The station was recently renovated by the university with funding assistance from the United States Department of Transportation
. It opened, featuring an upgraded Dairy Bar, a restaurant operated by UNH Hospitality Services, on August 11, 2008. The restaurant is open 6:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. weekends. A climate controlled vestibule which houses the Amtrak Quik-Trak ticketing machine is open 5:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily.
The campus location is very convenient for students and Durham residents, who comprise most of the riders, but the lack of parking available to the general public means most commuters drive to and park at stations in Dover
, or Exeter, New Hampshire
, the stations north and south respectively of Durham.
The University operates both a free on-campus bus shuttle service, Campus Connector Shuttle, and Wildcat Transit, an off-campus service, serving the cities and towns of Dover, Lee
, Madbury
, Newmarket
, Newington
, and Portsmouth
. The bus services operate year round but scale back outside of the academic year. Intercity bus service to Boston also now uses rail station site. There is a Wildcat Transit and UNH Campus Connector bus stop approximately 1,000 feet from the platform on Main Street.
On average, about 150 rail passengers board or detrain daily at Durham, making it the third-busiest Amtrak
stop in New Hampshire.
The station is located within walking distance of downtown, the core UNH campus, the Whittemore Center Arena and the New England Center.
Durham, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,664 people, 2,882 households, and 1,582 families residing in the town. The population density was 565.5 people per square mile . There were 2,923 housing units at an average density of 130.5 per square mile...
, serves the Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
Downeaster
Downeaster
The Downeaster is a 116-mile regional passenger train service managed by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority and operated by Amtrak, connecting North Station in Boston, Massachusetts, to Portland, Maine...
and is situated west of downtown Durham on the campus of the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
(UNH). The station was originally built in 1896 in Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
, and was moved to the present site in Durham when the Boston and Maine Railroad
Boston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
moved its tracks further from the center of campus. The track realignment was influenced by a 1905 train accident on campus. Passenger train service run by the Boston and Maine was ended in Durham in 1958, and regular service returned with the opening of the Downeaster in December 2001. The station is owned by the university, but an adjacent parking area is managed by the town of Durham.
The station was recently renovated by the university with funding assistance from the United States Department of Transportation
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
. It opened, featuring an upgraded Dairy Bar, a restaurant operated by UNH Hospitality Services, on August 11, 2008. The restaurant is open 6:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. weekends. A climate controlled vestibule which houses the Amtrak Quik-Trak ticketing machine is open 5:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily.
The campus location is very convenient for students and Durham residents, who comprise most of the riders, but the lack of parking available to the general public means most commuters drive to and park at stations in Dover
Dover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
, or Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
, the stations north and south respectively of Durham.
The University operates both a free on-campus bus shuttle service, Campus Connector Shuttle, and Wildcat Transit, an off-campus service, serving the cities and towns of Dover, Lee
Lee, New Hampshire
Lee is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,330 at the 2010 census. The town is a rural farm and bedroom community, being close to the University of New Hampshire.-History:...
, Madbury
Madbury, New Hampshire
Madbury is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,771 at the 2010 census.-History:Madbury was originally a part of Dover called Barbadoes, after the West Indies island of Barbados with which settlers conducted trade, sending wood and lumber in exchange for...
, Newmarket
Newmarket, New Hampshire
Newmarket is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 8,936 at the 2010 census. Some residents are students and employees at the nearby University of New Hampshire in Durham....
, Newington
Newington, New Hampshire
Newington is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 753 at the 2010 census. It is bounded to the west by Great Bay, northwest by Little Bay and northeast by the Piscataqua River. It is home to Portsmouth International Airport at Pease , and to the New...
, and Portsmouth
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
. The bus services operate year round but scale back outside of the academic year. Intercity bus service to Boston also now uses rail station site. There is a Wildcat Transit and UNH Campus Connector bus stop approximately 1,000 feet from the platform on Main Street.
On average, about 150 rail passengers board or detrain daily at Durham, making it the third-busiest Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
stop in New Hampshire.
The station is located within walking distance of downtown, the core UNH campus, the Whittemore Center Arena and the New England Center.