Darien station

The Darien station is a commuter rail stop on the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line, located in Darien, Connecticut. A small station house is located on the north side of the tracks (New York City-bound side). The station is wheelchair accessible, with elevators at the east end, near the Boston Post Road.

Darien
Darien station building in September 2018
Location33 West Avenue, Darien, Connecticut
Coordinates41.078187°N 73.472958°W / 41.078187; -73.472958
Owned byConnDOT
Line(s)Northeast Corridor
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks4
Connections CTTransit Stamford: 41, 42
Construction
Parking860 spaces
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Fare zone16
History
OpenedDecember 25, 1848[1][2]
Electrified12.5 kV AC overhead catenary
Passengers
20181,873
Rank35 of 124[3]
Services
Preceding station Metro-North Following station
Noroton Heights
towards Grand Central
 New Haven Line Rowayton
towards New Haven or New Haven State Street
Former services
Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station
Noroton
toward New York
 Main Line Rowayton
toward New Haven

The station is located downtown at the intersection of the Post Road (U.S. Route 1, the town's main thoroughfare) and West Avenue. A small bus-stop shelter is located on the Boston Post Road at the southeast corner of the station (near the New Haven-bound tracks) for buses going along the Post Road into Stamford. Across the Post Road, buses can be boarded for trips into Norwalk. In the small parking lot around the station house, a Connecticut Transit Stamford bus on Bus Route 42 takes passengers along West Avenue and Glenbrook Road into the Glenbrook section of Stamford. Taxis regularly wait for passengers in the small parking lot adjacent to the New Haven-bound tracks. Entrances and exits to Interstate 95 are on Tokeneke Road (exit 12) and the Boston Post Road (exit 11).

Station parking

Several parking lots on both sides of the tracks serve the station with a total of 860 spaces.[4] The state owns the parking lots nearest the Post Road and on the west (south) side of the tracks between the Post Road and Leroy Avenue (with 195 spaces[5]). The town owns the "Leroy West" parking lot west of Leroy Avenue (toward New York City). The parking lot at the corner of West and Leroy Avenues is privately owned.[4]

History

Downtown Darien, originally known as "Darien Depot", grew up around the train station, replacing the Noroton commercial district (2–3 miles to the east, along the Post Road) by the 1870s. By then, the train connection to New York City allowed wealthy New Yorkers to build vacation homes along the shore, beginning Darien's history as a wealthy suburb.[6]

In the 1890s, the railroad tracks were raised above the street level, creating the railroad bridges over the Post Road, which marks the east side of the station, and over Leroy Avenue, at the western end. A Chinese laundry business has been located near the station since the 1890s, operated by various owners.

The historic station building was rehabilitated in 2002. "In general, the station is in good condition with one major exception," according to the January 2007 "Darien Train Station Visual Inspection Report" prepared by the Connecticut Department of Transportation. "Illumination installed under the rehabilitation contract is substandard." The department has reached an agreement with the manufacturer of the lights to replace them.[4]

In recent years the town government of Darien has been collecting parking revenue from the station, which has gone into an improvement fund. As of 2007, the town received revenues of about $100,000 from both stations in Darien.[7]

Station layout

This station has two high-level side platforms, each 10 cars long. The northern platform, adjacent to Track 3, is generally used by westbound trains. The southern platform, adjacent to Track 4, is generally used by eastbound trains. The New Haven Line has four tracks at this location. The two inner tracks, not adjacent to either platform, are used only by express trains.[8]:20

P
Platform level		 Side platform, doors will open on the right
Track 3 ←      New Haven Line toward Grand Central (Noroton Heights)
Track 1 ←      New Haven Line express trains do not stop here
←      Amtrak services do not stop here
Track 2 ←      Amtrak services do not stop here →
←      New Haven Line express trains do not stop here →
Track 4 ←      New Haven Line toward New Haven or New Haven State Street (Rowayton) →
Side platform, doors will open on the right
G Street level Exit/entrance and parking

Bibliography
  • Jenkins, Stephen (1912). The Story of the Bronx from the Purchase Made by the Dutch from the Indians in 1639 to the Present Day. New York, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. Retrieved December 12, 2019.

References
  1. Jenkins 1912, p. 235.
  2. "Special Express Notice". The Evening Post. New York, New York. February 12, 1849. p. 3. Retrieved December 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. METRO-NORTH 2018 WEEKDAY STATION BOARDINGS. Market Analysis/Fare Policy Group:OPERATIONS PLANNING AND ANALYSIS DEPARTMENT:Metro-North Railroad. April 2019. p. 6.
  4. Bureau of Public Transportation of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, "Darien Train Station Visual Inspection Report" dated January 2007 (although parts of the inspection were carried out in September 2006)
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 12, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)"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
  6. "In Search of the Past: A self-Guided Tour of Darien" by Patricia Q. Wall, a 20-page booklet published by the Darien Historical Society in 1986
  7. Fisher, Joshua (July 19, 2007). "Klein touts record: Won't say if she's running (but it sounds like it)". The Darien Times. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2007.
  8. "Metro-North Railroad Track & Structures Department Track Charts Maintenance Program Interlocking Diagrams & Yard Diagrams 2015" (PDF). Metro-North Railroad. 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
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