Clinton station is a regional rail station served by the CTrail Shore Line East service located near downtown Clinton, Connecticut. The station has two side platforms connected by a footbridge. Clinton is a commuter-only station; Amtrak's Acela Express and Northeast Regional services run through the station without stopping. History New Haven Railroad The New Haven & New London Railroad was charted in 1848, began construction in 1850, and opened for service in July 1852. A combination depot (serving both freight and passengers) similar to others on the line was located on the south side of the tracks east of John Street in downtown Westbrook. The line was owned by the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad (the "Stonington Road") from 1858 to 1862, and by the Shore Line Railway from 1864 until it was acquired by the New Haven Railroad in 1870. In the 1890s, the New Haven double-tracked and straightened several sections of the Shore Line. The sharp curve in downtown Clinton was eliminated in 1897, allowing four grade crossings to be eliminated. A new station, located on the north side of the tracks at John Street, was built in the saltbox style and became "the new standard pattern of stations on the Shore Line". The by station opened on November 19, 1897,. Twelve days before, the older station had been moved to the west for use as a freight house, a function it served until the 1950s. It is still extant and in use as a restaurant. The 1897-built station was demolished around 1960 when the site was sold to expand parking for the adjacent Chesebrough-Pond's factory. As part of the sale, Chesebrough-Pond's paid for a small shelter to be built slightly to the east at Hull Street. Most commuter service east of New Haven ceased on January 1, 1969, after the New Haven merged into Penn Central, though the Clamdigger continued operation under Penn Central and later Amtrak until January 28, 1972. The shelter was demolished in 1973 along with those at Stonington, East Lyme, Madison, and Branford station. A second version of the Clamdigger operated from September 9, 1976 to October 30, 1977, but it did not stop at Clinton. The Clamdigger was reinstated on January 8, 1978, with commuter-based flag stops added at Groton, Clinton, Madison, Stony Creek, and Branford. It was replaced by the Boston-New Haven Beacon Hill effective April 30, 1978, ending service