Image courtesy of FCA, Patriquin Architects, SP+A and Desman

One of New Haven’s major portals to the rest of America, its Amtrak and Metro-North train station, is in line for a huge makeover.

Renderings released by Gov. Ned Lamont’s office Monday show what the state hopes to buy with a $15.7 million interior renovation set to start in the second half of 2028, focused on the waiting area.

The current Union Station waiting area hasn’t been updated for some years, and is currently dominated by long, wooden waiting benches. Some of those would remain, according to the renderings, but many would be removed to make room for a central cafe-bar, and a spiral staircase leading to a bar and lounge on the station’s mezzanine level overlooking both the platforms and the waiting room.

Other work planned includes LED lighting, repairs and updates to the flooring and ceiling tiles, restroom and hallway renovations, a new “wellness room” and renovated office and rail administration space, upgraded common areas, security and ticketing spaces.

“Great cities should have great public transit facilities, and we are about to deliver for New Haveners,” New Haven Mayor Jistin Elicker said in a statement provided by Lamont’s office. “We’re a growing city and want to encourage even more rail ridership and transit-oriented development – and a critical component to making this happen is having a top-notch train station to help drive and support this growth.”

The high-end design shown in the renderings would chime with New Haven’s attempts to become a biotech and quantum computing startup hub, and with a residential tower planned for a publicly-owned lot next door. A large, empty lot across the street is also in line to be redeveloped into a huge, mixed-income housing complex by Elm City Communities.

Lamont’s office didn’t specifically say whether any of the current retail tenants in the station, such as Subway, Dunkin Donuts and a newsstand, would continue, but it released a request for interest, along with the renderings, showing the planned cafe-bar and the mezzanine bar and 11 other retail spots on the main floor and underground concourse levels totaling 5,266 square feet.

“New Haven Union Station is an important link in Connecticut’s transportation network, and we are focused on making it a world-class transit facility,” Lamont said in a statement. “We are modernizing this historic station to create a more welcoming and comfortable experience for riders and encourage more people to choose rail.”

An Animated Fly-Through of the Proposed Renovations

Architectural Renderings of the Proposed Renovations

Image courtesy of FCA, Patriquin Architects, SP+A and Desman

Image courtesy of FCA, Patriquin Architects, SP+A and Desman

Image courtesy of FCA, Patriquin Architects, SP+A and Desman