Wilton station (Metro-North)

Wilton station is a commuter rail station on the Danbury Branch of the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line, located in Wilton, Connecticut. It's one of 2 rail stations located within the town of Wilton. The station first opened in 1852 and is the most used station on the Danbury Branch by weekday passengers.

This article is about the Metro-North station in Wilton, Connecticut. For the historic rail station in Wilton, North Dakota, see Wilton station (North Dakota).
Wilton
Station house and platform, view from northwest
Location7 Station Road, Wilton, Connecticut
Coordinates41.1959°N 73.4321°W / 41.1959; -73.4321
Owned byConnDOT[1]
Operated byConnDOT and Metro-North Railroad[1]
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Connections Norwalk Transit District: Route 7 Link
Construction
Parking212
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Fare zone41
Passengers
2018240
Rank94 of 124[2]
Services
Preceding station Metro-North Following station
Merritt 7
towards Grand Central
 Danbury Branch Cannondale
towards Danbury

History

Wilton station opened in 1852 alongside Cannondale station,Georgetown station, and Kent station on the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad. The original station house was replaced in 1939 by the current one. The original station was moved north to the property of Charles Dana in 1941. Following the death of Dana in 1968, the town acquired the Dana property. However, the original station had fallen into advanced disrepair, and after almost being demolished in 1974, the original station house was moved to Lambert Corners in 1978.[3][lower-alpha 1], where it remains today.[4] On May 21, 2014, both businesses housed inside of the station house closed unexpectedly.[5] During the COVID-19 Pandemic, ridership at Wilton station dropped significantly. Causing the number of trains stopping at Wilton station to decrease.[6]

Station layout
The station platform in 2011

The station has one four-car-long high-level Island platform serving trains in both directions. On both the north and south end of the platform, the two tracks merge into a single track.[7]

The station has 212 parking spaces, 105 owned by the state and all managed by the Town of Wilton.[1][8] The station is owned and operated by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT), but Metro-North is responsible for trash and snow removal as well as platform lighting.[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. Wilton Historical Society. "Preservation-Wilton Railroad station-C.1852". Wiltonhistorical.org. Wilton Historical Society. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  4. McCahon, Mary.E. "Wilton Railroad Station" (PDF). Wiltonhistorical.org. Witon Historical Society. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  5. Ross, Jeanette. "Access to train station house reduced". wiltonbulletin.com. The Wilton Bulletin. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  6. Ross, Jeanette. "Wilton train station is a lonely place". wiltonbulletin.com. The Wilton Bulletin. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  7. "Metro-North Railroad Track & Structures Department Track Charts Maintenance Program Interlocking Diagrams & Yard Diagrams 2015" (PDF). Metro-North Railroad. 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  8. "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

Notes
  1. Lambert Corners is a property in Wilton owned by the Wilton Historical Society, Where endangered historic buildings are sometimes relocated to in order to escape demolition or deterioration.

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