Downingtown station

Downingtown station is a commuter and intercity passenger rail station located in the western suburbs of Philadelphia at West Lancaster Avenue & Stuart Avenue in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. It is served by most Amtrak Keystone Service and SEPTA Paoli/Thorndale Line trains. Amtrak's Pennsylvanian does not stop here. In 2017, the average total SEPTA weekday boardings at this station was 291, and the average total SEPTA weekday alightings was 312.[6]

Downingtown
Amtrak and SEPTA station
Station with downtown Downingtown in the background
General information
Location159 Viaduct Avenue
Downingtown, Pennsylvania
United States
Coordinates40.002545°N 75.710363°W / 40.002545; -75.710363
Owned byAmtrak[1]
Line(s)Amtrak Keystone Corridor
(Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line)
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks3
ConnectionsSuburban Bus SEPTA Suburban Bus: 135
Construction
Structure typeEnclosed plexiglas shelters
Parking360 spaces (226 daily, 134 municipal)
Bicycle facilities2 racks (4 spaces)
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: DOW
Fare zone4 (SEPTA)
History
Opened19th century
Rebuilt1990s
ElectrifiedJanuary 15, 1938[2]
Key dates
February 24, 1992Pennsylvania Railroad depot burned[3]
Passengers
FY 202232,653 annually[4] (Amtrak)
2017291 boardings
312 alightings
(weekday average)[5] (SEPTA)
Rank92 of 146 (SEPTA)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Coatesville
toward Harrisburg
 Keystone Service Exton
toward New York
     Pennsylvanian does not stop here
Preceding station SEPTA Following station
Thorndale
Terminus
 Paoli/​Thorndale Line Whitford
toward Temple University
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Coatesville
toward Harrisburg
 Keystone Service
Before 1988
 Whitford
toward Philadelphia–Suburban
Lancaster
toward Pittsburgh
 Pennsylvanian Exton
toward New York
Preceding station SEPTA Following station
Coatesville
Closed 1996
toward Parkesburg
 Parkesburg Line
Discontinued 1996
 Whitford
toward Suburban Station
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Thorndale
toward Chicago
 Main Line Woodbine
toward New York or Exchange Place

History
Harrisburg-bound Amtrak Keystone Service train in November 2018

The original Downingtown station was built in the 19th century by the Pennsylvania Railroad, and was destroyed by fire in the early morning of February 24, 1992.[3] The foundation from the old station can still be seen today.[7]

Replacement station

The Pennsylvania state department of transportation has proposed building a new train station for Downington "at about a quarter mile south of Lancaster Avenue on Brandywine Avenue/US 322" starting in 2025. [8]

Station layout

There is no ticket office at this station. There are 360 parking spaces for daily parking at the station–223 spaces are owned by SEPTA, and the remaining are part of an adjacent municipal lot. This is 32.8 track miles from Philadelphia's Suburban Station. Downingtown is the westernmost Amtrak station on the Keystone Corridor that is also served by SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale service. Additionally, the SEPTA Route 135 bus serves the station.

Downingtown has two low-level side platforms. A center track is not used for passenger service.

P
Platform level
Side platform, doors will open on the right
Track 2 ←      Paoli/​Thorndale Line toward Thorndale (Terminus)
←      Keystone Service toward Harrisburg (Coatesville)
←      Pennsylvanian does not stop here
No service ← No regular service →
Track 1 ←      Pennsylvanian does not stop here →
←      Keystone Service toward Philadelphia or New York (Exton) →
←      Paoli/​Thorndale Line toward Suburban Station or Temple University (Whitford) →
Side platform, doors will open on the right
B Underpass Crossunder between platforms
  • Station entrance sign
    Station entrance sign
  • Station platform
    Station platform
  • Station with downtown in background
    Station with downtown in background
  • Transfer tunnel
    Transfer tunnel
  • Stairs to the tunnel
    Stairs to the tunnel
  • Philadelphia-bound platform at Downingtown station
    Philadelphia-bound platform at Downingtown station
  • Philadelphia-bound SEPTA Paoli/Thorndale Line train stops at Downingtown station in November 2018
    Philadelphia-bound SEPTA Paoli/Thorndale Line train stops at Downingtown station in November 2018

References
  1. "Transportation Planning for the Philadelphia–Harrisburg "Keystone" Railroad Corridor" (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  2. "Pennsy Completes New Electric Link". The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. January 15, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved August 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. McKinney, Kevin (February 25, 1992). "Blaze Destroys Historic Train Station in Downingtown". The Philadelphia Inquirera. p. B1, B7. Retrieved March 30, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  5. "Fiscal Year 2021 Service Plan Update". SEPTA. June 2020. p. 24. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  6. "Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. p. 43-46.
  7. Pennsylvania Railroad Stations Past and Present
  8. Rettew, Bill (2022-02-01). "Start of construction for new Downingtown Train Station set for 2025". Daily Local. Retrieved 2022-02-02.

Media related to Downingtown station at Wikimedia Commons

40.002545°N 75.710363°W / 40.002545; -75.710363

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