Bethel station

Bethel station is a commuter rail station on the Danbury Branch of the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line, located in Bethel, Connecticut.

Bethel
Track side of Bethel station in 2011
Location	13 Durant Avenue, Bethel, Connecticut
Coordinates	41.3760°N 73.4180°W
Owned by	Connecticut Department of Transportation[1]
Operated by	Town of Bethel
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Connections	Housatonic Area Regional Transit: 5
Construction
Parking	197 spaces
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	42
History
Opened	1852
Rebuilt	1996
Passengers
2018	228 daily
Rank	96 of 124[2]
Services
Preceding station Metro-North Following station Redding towards Grand Central Danbury Branch Danbury Terminus

History

The former Bethel station in 2012

The original Bethel station opened in 1852 on the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad. The original station building eventually burned down on December 15, 1898 as a result of an overheated stove. The station was eventually replaced the following year in 1899. The 1899-built station served passengers until 1996, when it was taken out of service but not demolished.[3] The current station on Durant Avenue was built in 1996 and succeedes the previous station on Depot Place. The old station is still standing, but trains no longer stop at it. The building subsequently became a bicycle shop, then a brewery.[4]

Station layout

The station has a five-car-long high-level side platform to the east of the single track.[5]^:28 The station has 197 parking spaces, all owned by the state.[6] Most of these are permit spaces, but there is also metered parking available. The station building is open during rush hours and has a bakery, seating area, and restroom, but no ticket machines. The station is operated by the town of Bethel, though it is owned by ConnDOT.[1]

References

1. Office of Rail, Bureau of Public Transportation (January 2007). "New Haven Line Train Station Visual Inspection, Summary Report" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation.
2. METRO-NORTH 2018 WEEKDAY STATION BOARDINGS. Market Analysis/Fare Policy Group:OPERATIONS PLANNING AND ANALYSIS DEPARTMENT:Metro-North Railroad. April 2019. p. 6.
3. Bell, Bob. "Stations:B-BO". Tylercitystation.info. Tylercitystation. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
4. http://www.newstimes.com/business/article/Brew-pub-in-works-at-former-Bethel-train-station-7331588.php
5. "Metro-North Railroad Track & Structures Department Track Charts Maintenance Program Interlocking Diagrams & Yard Diagrams 2015" (PDF). Metro-North Railroad. 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
6. "Task 2: Technical Memorandum parking Inventory and Utilization: Final Report" submitted by Urbitran Associates Inc. to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, "Table 1: New haven Line Parking Capacity and Utilization", page 6, July 2003 Archived July 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

External links

Media related to Bethel station at Wikimedia Commons

• Metro-North station page for Bethel

• Connecticut Department of Transportation, "Condition Inspection Bethel Station" report, July 2002