Rensselaer station

Train station in Indiana, US

For the station in upstate New York, see Albany–Rensselaer station.

Rensselaer, IN

Rensselaer station building in October 2015

General information
Location| 776 North Cullen Street
Rensselaer, Indiana
United States
Coordinates| 40°56′36″N 87°09′18″W﻿ / ﻿40.9432°N 87.1551°W﻿ / 40.9432; -87.1551
Line(s)| CSX Monon Subdivision
Platforms| 1 side platform
Tracks| 1
Construction
Accessible| Yes
Other information
Station code| Amtrak: REN
History
Opened| April 26, 1981[1]
Rebuilt| 2011-2013
Passengers
FY 2023| 509[2] (Amtrak)
Services
| Preceding station  |  Amtrak | Following station

|
|

Dyer

toward Chicago

|  | Cardinal |  | Lafayette

toward New York

Former services

| Preceding station  |  Amtrak | Following station

|
|

Dyer

toward Chicago

|  | Hoosier State |  | Lafayette

toward Indianapolis

| Kentucky Cardinal |  | Lafayette

toward Louisville

Preceding station  | Monon Railroad | Following station
Surrey

toward Chicago

|  | Main Line  |  | Pleasant Ridge

toward Louisville

Location

Rensselaer station is an Amtrak station in Rensselaer, Indiana, served by the Cardinal. It was additionally served by the Hoosier State until 2019, when funding for the train was cut.[3]

## History

[edit]

The 1981-built shelter in 2010

A small shelter at Rensselaer was built in 1981 and maintained by the local Lions Club.[1][4] The former Monon Railroad station was demolished in 1981, and preceding this station was a two-story wooden depot built in 1900. Some of the brick pavement and red tile flooring from the second station is still visible today.[5]

In 2007, the shelter was renovated. Vandalized windows were replaced, and the exterior was repainted. The station was vandalized again in 2014.[6][7]

A new accessible concrete platform was constructed with funds from the 2009 stimulus bill. The platform, which cost around $500,000, was dedicated on April 20, 2011.[5] The 1979-built shelter was later demolished and replaced with a one-story brick building, funded by Amtrak, which opened on August 21, 2013.[4]

In December 2017, the station's concrete platform suffered damage in a 16-car derailment, triggered by a wheel detachment from a train car.[8] The damage was not repaired until Summer 2024, when new LED lighting was installed and accessibility features were improved.[9]

## Services

[edit]

The interior of the station, January 2025

The station interior features benches, a small heater, and electrical outlets. The building is unstaffed and does not feature restrooms, ticketing, baggage services, or vending. A small parking area exists to the west of the station.[5] As of FY 2023, Rensselaer is the fifth least-used Amtrak station in the network.[10]

Ridership statistics[10][11][12] Year  | Boardings  | % Change

|
|

2012  | 2,342  | 0.00%
2013  | 2,239  | −4.40%
2014  | 2,154  | −3.80%
2015  | 2,090  | −2.97%
2016  | 1,963  | −6.08%
2017  | 2,188  | +11.46%
2018  | 1,816  | −17.00%
2019  | 1,754  | −3.41%
2020  | 482  | −72.52%
2021  | 522  | +8.30%
2022  | 503  | −3.64%
2023  | 509  | +1.19%

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "New Stop for Amtrak". Vidette-Messenger of Porter County. Valparaiso, Indiana. January 17, 1981. p. 22. Retrieved October 17, 2019 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Indiana" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
3. ^ "Amtrak suspends ticket sales for Hoosier State line after June 30". Indianapolis Business Journal. April 8, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
4. ^ a b "New Amtrak Passenger Shelter Dedicated In Rensselaer, Ind" (Press release). Amtrak. August 21, 2013. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017.
5. ^ a b c "Rensselaer, IN (REN)". Great American Stations. Amtrak.
6. ^ Ake, Dave (August 20, 2007). "Amtrak station gets facelift". Newsbug.info. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
7. ^ "Rensselaer police investigating vandalism at train depot". Newsbug.info. January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
8. ^ Fiala, Nick (December 23, 2017). "Rensselaer sighs with relief: None harmed in 16-car train crash". Newsbug.info. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
9. ^ Tomlinson, Harley (July 3, 2024). "Amtrak to repair platform at Rensselaer station". Newsbug.info. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
10. ^ a b "State Fact Sheets | Amtrak". www.amtrak.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
11. ^ https://www.railpassengers.org/site/assets/files/2391/ren.pdf
12. ^ https://rpav1.railpassengers.org/site/assets/files/2391/ren.pdf

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Rensselaer station at Wikimedia Commons

* Rensselaer, IN – Amtrak
* Rensselaer, IN – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)

* v
* t
* e

Amtrak stations in Indiana

Active stations|

* Connersville
* Crawfordsville
* Dyer
* Elkhart
* Hammond–Whiting
* Indianapolis
* Lafayette
* Rensselaer
* South Bend
* Waterloo

Former stations|

* Bloomington
* Fort Wayne
* Garrett
* Gary–5th & Chase
* Gary–Broadway
* Gary–Miller
* Hobart
* Indiana Harbor
* Jeffersonville
*   * Lafayette (Main Street)
* Logansport
* Marion
* Michigan City
* Muncie
* Nappanee
* Peru
* Richmond (3rd Street)
* Richmond (10th Street)
* Terre Haute
* Valparaiso
* Warsaw
* Wheeler
* Whiting

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