Noroton Heights station

Noroton Heights station is a commuter rail stop on the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line located in the Noroton Heights neighborhood of Darien, Connecticut.

Noroton Heights
Station building, an "overgrown Plexiglass [sic] shelter protected by a metal lean-to" — consultant's report[1]
General information
Location325 Heights Road, Darien, Connecticut
Coordinates41.070099°N 73.49787°W / 41.070099; -73.49787
Owned byConnDOT
Line(s)ConnDOT New Haven Line (Northeast Corridor)
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks4
ConnectionsLocal Transit CTtransit Stamford: 344
Construction
Parking772 spaces
Other information
Fare zone16
History
RebuiltMarch 13, 1972–May 28, 1974[2][3]
Electrified12.5 kV AC overhead catenary
Key dates
January 15, 1972Station agent eliminated[4]
Passengers
20181,460
Rank44 of 124[5]
Services
Preceding station Metro-North Railroad Following station
Stamford
toward Grand Central
 New Haven Line Darien
toward New Haven State Street
Danbury Branch
peak service
 Darien
toward Danbury
Former services
Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station
Glenbrook
toward New York
 Main Line Darien
toward New Haven

History
Westbound platform reconstruction in 2018

As of January 2007, Northeast Utilities had plans to put an underground 345-kV cable along the south edge of the eastbound parking lot (just north of Interstate 95). The state Department of Transportation agreed to the location because it would "minimize the potential impact to any future parking structure built at this site."[6]

In 1989, the attractive former station building was slated for demolition. Instead, a group of Darien residents changed it into "The Depot", a youth center. The building remains at the far end of the train station, near the intersection of Noroton Avenue and Heights Road.[7] Across the train tracks from "The Depot" is the Post 53 ambulance unit (which previously occupied "The Depot" building before moving into its current headquarters).

In recent years the town government of Darien has been collecting parking revenue from the station, which has gone into an improvement fund. The stairs leading to Hollow Tree Ridge Road were replaced in late 2010 along with new lighting being installed. Renovations will also include an update to the overpass (which will be closed for renovations starting June 6, 2011). The improvement project is running behind schedule with the original completion date being December 2010, no new date has been announced.[8]

A $8 million reconstruction of the station platforms began in March 2017, with completion then planned for late 2018.[9][10]

Station layout

The station has two high-level side platforms, the northern platform is 10 cars long, while the southern platform is 9 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.[11]: 20 

P
Platform level		 Side platform, doors will open on the right Disabled access
Track 3 ←      New Haven Line, Danbury Branch toward Grand Central (Stamford)
Track 1 ←      New Haven Line, Danbury Branch, Shore Line East do not stop here
←      Amtrak services do not stop here
Track 2 ←      Amtrak services do not stop here →
←      New Haven Line, Danbury Branch, Shore Line East do not stop here →
Track 4 ←      New Haven Line toward New Haven or New Haven State Street (Darien) →
←      Danbury Branch PM rush hours toward Danbury (Darien) →
Side platform, doors will open on the right Disabled access
G Street level Exit/entrance and parking

The Noroton Heights station building is "unique in that it resembles an overgrown Plexiglass [sic] shelter protected by a metal lean-to," according to a January 2007 Connecticut Department of Transportation report. The Noroton Heights station is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. All the railroad parking at the station (772 spaces[1]) is owned by the state. The farthest available parking spaces are as much as 1,500 feet from the station.[6]

References
  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 12, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2010.{{cite web}}: 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
  2. "Groundbreaking Set Monday for New Station in Darien". The Bridgeport Post. March 8, 1972. p. 12. Retrieved March 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. "DOT to Dedicate Noroton Heights Railroad Station". The Hartford Courant. May 23, 1974. p. 95. Retrieved March 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. "7 County R.R. Stations to Quit Selling Tickets". The Bridgeport Post. January 6, 1972. pp. 1, 16. Retrieved March 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  5. METRO-NORTH 2018 WEEKDAY STATION BOARDINGS. Market Analysis/Fare Policy Group:OPERATIONS PLANNING AND ANALYSIS DEPARTMENT:Metro-North Railroad. April 2019. p. 6.
  6. Bureau of Public Transportation of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, "Noroton Heights Train Station Visual Inspection Report" dated January 2007 (although parts of the inspection were carried out in September 2006)
  7. "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on April 8, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2007."History" page at The Depot Web site, accessed April 12, 2007
  8. 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.
  9. "Noroton Heights Railroad Station Platform Replacement" (Press release). Connecticut Department of Transportation. March 21, 2017.
  10. Shultz, Susan (September 2, 2018). "DOT says Noroton Heights train station construction is progressing on schedule". Darien Times.
  11. "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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