South Norwalk station

South Norwalk
West entrance, State Street, near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
Location 29 Monroe Street
at 1 Chestnut Street,
Norwalk, CT 06854
Coordinates 41°05′45″N 73°25′19″W / 41.09570°N 73.42185°W / 41.09570; -73.42185 (South Norwalk Station)Coordinates: 41°05′45″N 73°25′19″W / 41.09570°N 73.42185°W / 41.09570; -73.42185 (South Norwalk Station)
Owned by Norwalk Transit District
Line(s) Northeast Corridor
  New Haven Line
Platforms 2 island platforms
Tracks 6
Connections Norwalk Transit District: 10, 11, 12, Evening Shuttle, Sunday Shuttle, Norwalk Commuter Connection - Hospital-Virgin Atlantic, Merrit 7, Westport Road
Construction
Parking 800 spaces
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Fare zone 17
Electrified 12,500V (AC) overhead catenary
Traffic
Passengers (2006) 494,260[1] Steady 0%
Services
Preceding station   Metro-North Railroad   Following station
New Haven Line
TerminusDanbury Branch
toward Danbury
Former services
Preceding station   New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad   Following station
toward New York
Main Line
toward New Haven

The South Norwalk Metro-North Railroad station is owned and managed by the Norwalk Transit District, and serves Norwalk, Connecticut via the New Haven Line. Nicknamed "SoNo" by riders and staff, the station is the point where the Danbury Branch connects to the Northeast Corridor, as well as a peak-hour terminal for some express trains. It is the last stop for New Haven super-express trains before they run non-stop to Grand Central Terminal in New York. Just east of the station is the South Norwalk Railroad Bridge, and next to that is the SONO Switch Tower Museum, a preserved switch tower which is open on summer weekend afternoons. Amtrak uses the inner tracks as it does not stop at South Norwalk.

The predecessor station in the same location was named Norwalk & South Norwalk in timetables of the New York, New Haven and Hartford and successor Penn Central.

South Norwalk is 41 miles (66 km) from Grand Central Terminal, and the average travel time from Grand Central is 64 minutes, though this varies depending on run and time of day.

The station has approximately 800 parking spaces, none owned by the state.[2]

The older station building at the eastbound side of the tracks contains a small restaurant, serving pizza, wine and beer. This side features the Bus Station and Taxi Station that serves the Trains. The 900-square-foot (84 m2) space is subleased from the New England Fashion Design Association.[3]

History

Older building, across the tracks.

The newer, main station building, on the westbound (New York City-bound) side of the tracks, was built in 1994. It has a cafe serving coffee and pastries during the day. The New York Side station building consists of a small waiting area with a gigantic glass arch, overlooking the tracks. To reach either side, you go through a pedestrian underpass. The New York side consists of a 6-Level Parking Garage complete with Taxi/Bus Transportation. The Norwalk Parking Authority owns the garage along with the New Haven side's Parking Lot.

The station was the first to receive Wi-Fi service on the New Haven Line in March 2006. The service was provided for one year from a federal grant received from the "One Coast, One Future" initiative designed to help economic development in Stamford, Norwalk and Bridgeport. The grant provides for Wi-Fi service for one year with the expectation that local governments will provide it in the future if they find it valuable enough to do so. Similar service was planned for Stamford and Bridgeport stations in the spring of 2006 but no others. Westport also started providing the service in the spring of 2006.[4]

The City of Norwalk and the Norwalk Transit District let a contract for $238,000.00 to study possible improvements to the South Norwalk Station with a goal to make it a better "intermodal" facility with improved access for cars, buses, shuttles, pedestrians, and taxis in February 2008.[5]

In late 2008, a renovation project began at the station, involving the installation of power-assist doors, better smoke detectors, emergency lights and energy-efficient lights. Other work included cleaning brickwork, painting, improving signs and moving the automated pay station. improved landscaping and traffic flow. A Norwalk city government official said the changes were meant to make the station more inviting and give visitors a better impression of Norwalk.[3]

In 2010, the rail bridges over Monroe Street adjacent to the station were replaced. As part of the replacement the stairways that used to provide pedestrian access to either platform from Monroe Street were removed along with concealment of the original red sandstone abutments behind steel reinforced concrete facings.

In 2012 permanent art was installed in the New Haven lobby and through the connecting tunnel as part of the Norwalk Parking Authority's 'Art in Parking Places' program through a collaboration with the Norwalk Arts Commission and the Norwalk Transit (www.norwalktransit.org) funded by the Federal Transit Administration Public Art Grant.

Station layout

This station has two high-level island platforms. Each is 10 cars long on the Northeast Corridor, but much shorter for the outer tracks. The western platform, adjacent to Tracks 3 and 5, is generally used by westbound New Haven Line trains via Track 3, and by Danbury Branch trains via Track 5. The eastern platform, adjacent to Tracks 4 and 6, is generally used by eastbound New Haven Line trains via Track 4, or Danbury Branch trains via Track 6.

The New Haven Line has six tracks at this location. The two inner tracks, not adjacent to either platform, are used only by express trains. Tracks 5 and 6 terminate at the station and only continue northward.

P
Platform level		 Track 5 Danbury Branch toward Danbury (Merritt 7) →
← Danbury Branch termination track
Side/island platform, doors will open on the left, right
Track 3 ← New Haven Line, Danbury Branch toward Grand Central (Rowayton)
Track 1 ← Northeast Corridor, New Haven Line express trains do not stop here
Track 2 Northeast Corridor, New Haven Line express trains do not stop here →
Track 4 New Haven Line toward New Haven or New Haven–State Street (East Norwalk) →
Danbury Branch toward Danbury (Merritt 7) →
Side/island platform, doors will open on the left, right
Track 6 Danbury Branch toward Danbury (Merritt 7) →
← Danbury Branch termination track
G Street level Exit/entrance and parking

References

  1. ↑ Using 260 weekdays in a year multiplied by number of weekday passengers (1,901)
  2. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-12. Retrieved 2010-10-24. "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
  3. 1 2 Lee, Richard (September 24, 2008). "Eat and run: Train station adds eatery". The Advocate. Stamford. p. A11.
  4. ↑ Ginocchio, Mark (March 18, 2007). "Area train stations ready to ask Wi-Fi". The Advocate. Stamford. pp. A3, A8.
  5. ↑ Newman, Jared (February 28, 2008). "$238K contract awarded to study rail station". The Hour. Norwalk. p. A1.
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