Ridership
In the early 1900s, after the station first opened, heavy commuter ridership made it the busiest station in the world. However, massive cutbacks made by the bankrupt New Haven Railroad, and an increase in the popularity of automobile travel later left the station with far fewer riders than at that time.
More recently, ridership has grown considerably, in part due to the reopening of Old Colony commuter rail service and the electrification of the Amtrak Northeast Corridor from New Haven to Boston, which allowed high speed Acela service.
South Station Ridership (passengers/year)
| Service | 1975 | 1990 | 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intercity rail | 537,000 | 839,000 | 1,060,000 |
| Commuter rail | 2,774,000 | 12,000,000 | 18,000,000 |
| Intercity Bus | n/a | n/a | 3,000,000 |
Read more about this topic: South Station