Williams Junction station
{{Short description|Former train station in Williams Junction, Coconino County, Arizona}}
{{For|the Grand Canyon Railway station|Williams Depot}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Williams Junction, AZ
| style = Amtrak
| image = Williams-amtrak.jpg
| image_caption = Williams Junction station platform
| address = Old Depot Road
| borough = Williams, Arizona
| country = United States
| coordinates = {{coord|35.24306|-112.13472|format=dms}}
| line = BNSF Seligman Subdivision
| platform = 2 (ground level paving serving two tracks)
| tracks = 3 (two main line tracks, one passing loop)
| connections = {{bus icon}} Grand Canyon Railway shuttle
| code = WMJ
| opened = December 18, 1960 (first station){{Cite news |last=Hoyt |first=William |date=December 18, 1960 |title=Grand Canyon First Train Over New Williams Cutoff |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88569123/williams-junction-december-18-1960/ |access-date=November 8, 2021 |work=The Arizona Daily Sun |location=Flagstaff, Arizona |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}
August 2, 1999 (second station)
| closed = April 30, 1969 (first station){{Cite news |last=Pearson |first=Helen |date=April 29, 1969 |title=It's Last Trip for Santa Fe's 'Williams Junction Run' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88570395/williams-junction-april-29-1969/ |access-date=November 8, 2021 |work=The Arizona Daily Sun |location=Flagstaff, Arizona |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}
January 1, 2018 (second station)
| pass_year = 2017
| passengers = 9,672{{Cite web |date=November 2017 |title=Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2017, State of Arizona |url=https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/corporate/statefactsheets/ARIZONA17.pdf |access-date=December 16, 2017 |publisher=Amtrak}}
| pass_percent = 20.1
| pass_system = Amtrak
| other_services_header = Former services
| other_services = {{Adjacent stations|system=Amtrak|line=Southwest Chief|left=Kingman|right=Flagstaff}}
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-marker = rail
| mapframe-marker-color = #888
| mapframe-zoom = 14
}}
Williams Junction station was an Amtrak train station on the Southwest Chief route, located {{convert|3|mi|spell=in}} southeast of Williams, Arizona in the Kaibab National Forest. The station primarily served passengers travelling to the Grand Canyon via the Grand Canyon Railway.
History
The first station at Williams Junction was built by Morrison-Knudsen for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway as part of construction of the Crookton Cutoff: a new {{convert|44|mi|adj=mid}} stretch of the Southern Transcon built to avoid the sharp curves and steep gradients of the existing line between Williams and Ash Fork.{{Cite book |last=Trimble |first=Marshall |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iTzfzawGetIC |title=Ash Fork |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7385-4832-6 |page=8 |authorlink=Marshall Trimble}} With the new route bypassing the town of Williams completely, Williams Junction replaced the downtown Williams Depot as the connection point between main line transcontinental services and Santa Fe trains to and from the Grand Canyon (trains 14 and 15). The station officially opened on December 18, 1960. Williams Depot remained open for the Hassayampa Flyer service between Williams Junction and Phoenix via Ash Fork and the Peavine route (trains 42 and 47).{{Cite book |last=Gerber |first=Rudy J |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PvaGtpNCCcQC |title=The Railroad and the Canyon |publisher=Pelican Publishing Company |year=1995 |isbn=978-1-4556-1086-0 |page=99}} Both Williams stations closed on April 30, 1969 following the Santa Fe's discontinuation of passenger services to the Grand Canyon and Phoenix via the Peavine.{{Cite web |year=1968 |title=Condensed Schedules of Passenger Service, effective July 15th, 1968 |url=http://streamlinermemories.info/SF/SF68-7TT.pdf |publisher=Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway}} The station building at Williams Junction remained standing for a few years following its closure,{{Cite web |title=Williams Junction disused station building, 1973 |url=http://www.trainweb.org/usarail/williamsjct_old_1973-aug_002.jpg |access-date=November 24, 2017 |publisher=Trainweb.org}} but was eventually demolished. The spur from the Southern Transcon and the line through downtown Williams were retained for freight services.{{Cite book |last=Glischinski |first=Steve |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lBKFXZC-_ZYC |title=Santa Fe Railway |publisher=Voyageur Press |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-7603-0380-1 |page=53}}
Following the successful regeneration of the former Santa Fe line to the Grand Canyon as a privately operated tourist venture in 1989, Amtrak introduced a stop at Williams Junction on their Southwest Chief route to connect with Grand Canyon Railway services. The new station opened on August 2, 1999.{{Cite book |last=Sanders |first=Craig |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aBqwDQAAQBAJ |title=Amtrak in the Heartland |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-253-02793-1 |page=134}} Unlike its predecessor, the modern Williams Junction had no station building or facilities, and no access for private motor vehicles.{{Cite web |title=Williams Junction, Arizona |url=https://www.amtrak.com/content/amtrak/en-us/stations/wmj.html |access-date=November 24, 2017 |publisher=Amtrak}} Passengers could only access the Williams Junction station using an Amtrak Thruway shuttle operated by the Grand Canyon Railway.{{Cite web |year=2017 |title=Southwest Chief schedule, effective November 5th, 2017 |url=https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/timetables/Southwest-Chief-Schedule-110517.pdf |publisher=Amtrak}} The collection and drop-off point was the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel adjacent to the refurbished Williams Depot, now the southern terminus of the Grand Canyon line.
In 2017, the Grand Canyon Railway announced they would be discontinuing their shuttle that connected this station with their station and hotel in Williams,{{Cite news |last=Howell |first=Wendy |date=September 26, 2017 |title=Grand Canyon Railway to discontinue Amtrak shuttle service |url=https://www.williamsnews.com/news/2017/sep/26/grand-canyon-railway-discontinue-amtrak-shuttle-se |access-date=November 24, 2017 |work=Williams News}} forcing the station to close on January 1, 2018.{{Cite news |last=Fonseca |first=Felicia |date=January 4, 2018 |title=Heading to Grand Canyon? Well-traveled train station closes |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/grand-canyon/2018/01/02/william-junction-amtrak-train-station-closes-grand-canyon/997320001/ |access-date=January 4, 2018 |work=The Arizona Republic}} To accommodate passengers requiring a connection to the Grand Canyon, Amtrak introduced a new Thruway bus service to and from Flagstaff.{{Cite web |year=2018 |title=Southwest Chief Flagstaff Service Change, effective January 1st, 2018 |url=https://m.amtrak.com/h5/r/www.amtrak.com/alert/southwest-chief-flagstaff-service-change.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215024313/https://m.amtrak.com/h5/r/www.amtrak.com/alert/southwest-chief-flagstaff-service-change.html |archive-date=February 15, 2018 |access-date=February 14, 2018 |publisher=Amtrak}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Amtrak Arizona stations}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams Junction (Amtrak Station)}}
Category:Buildings and structures in Coconino County, Arizona
Category:Transportation in Coconino County, Arizona
Category:Former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway stations
Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1960
Category:Former Amtrak stations in Arizona
Category:Railway stations in the United States closed in 2018
Category:Rail junctions in the United States