The Amherst railway station is an inter-city railway station in the town of Amherst, Nova Scotia. It is operated by Via Rail.The station was staffed until October 2012. The building is now closed, though Via Rail passenger trains continue to stop at the station. Checked baggage service is now handled by on-train crew members.HistoryThe Intercolonial Railway (ICR) opened its line from Truro to Moncton on 9 November 1872.Initially the ICR served Amherst passengers from a station constructed of wood on the same site as the present-day structure. The present structure was opened on 31 August 1908 and is constructed of local red sandstone.In 1918, the ICR was merged into another federal Crown corporation, the Canadian National Railways (CNR), however to this day, local residents still refer to the Amherst Railway Station as the Intercolonial Railway Station.In 1978, CN transferred responsibility for passenger rail services to another federal Crown corporation, Via Rail. Via is the owner and operator of the station, which serves the 3 days a week Ocean route.Several minor modifications have been undertaken to the structure in recent decades, including removing the south wing in 1975, replacing the bottom exterior stone in 1991 with stone from the Roman Catholic Church once located on Prince Arthur Street, and in 1992 new metal exterior doors were installed.
