New Canaan
Trackside view of New Canaan station in 2007
General information
Location198 Elm Street
New Canaan, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°08′47″N 73°29′44″W / 41.1463°N 73.4956°W / 41.1463; -73.4956
Owned byConnecticut Department of Transportation[1]
Operated byTown of New Canaan[1]
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks3
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone31
History
Opened1868[2]
Passengers
20181,134 daily boardings[3]
Services
Preceding station Metro-North Railroad Following station
Talmadge Hill
toward Stamford or Grand Central
 New Canaan Branch Terminus

New Canaan station is a commuter rail station on the New Canaan Branch of the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line in New Canaan, Connecticut.

History

A 1906 postcard depicting the station

The New Canaan Railroad was chartered in May 1866 as a short branch of the New York & New Haven Railroad from its main line at Stamford to New Canaan. The branch and this station opened on July 4, 1868.[4]

The town of New Canaan bought an option for a site on Old Stamford Road in March 1955, which would allow the town to build a new station with a parking lot,[5] and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad announced plans for the new station and parking lot that September.[6] The railroad and town signed an agreement in 1958 to build a new station at Fairty Orchards, about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south of the old New Canaan station,[7] and the railroad asked the town of New Canaan to acquire the existing New Canaan station the following January.[8] The railroad and the town agreed on final plans in June 1959,[9] and officials had announced their plan to build the station at Fairty Orchards by that September.[10] Residents narrowly voted against the planned station that November,[11] and they voted down the plan again in 1961 by a much wider margin.[12]

On July 13, 1976, two trains collided at the New Canaan station, killing two and injuring 29.[13] In October 1976, the CDOT released their report, which only blamed the engineer of the northbound train for excessive speed.[14] The National Transportation Safety Board also recommended that an automatic safety system be installed near the New Canaan station.[15]

The station platform was closed for several months in 1982 because it was crumbling; during that time, only the last two or three cars opened their doors at the station.[16]

In 1998, the state began a 10-year lease (ending June 30, 2008) to the town 2.35 acres (9,500 m2) at both the Talmadge Hill and New Canaan stations, allowing the town to perform some maintenance, repairs and cleaning while the state retains responsibility and control over major structural renovations and repairs. Money collected for parking goes into a special fund to be used for station-related purposes with the state's approval, and the state also must approve parking-fee regulations. The town has the option of renewing the lease for another 10-year term.[17]

On July 7, 2010, the ticket office at the station was closed, with vending machines on the platforms still available.[18]

On the morning of February 14, 2023, a train collided at low speed with a bumping-block device at the station, causing damage to one M8 railcar and to the sidewalk at the intersection of Park and Elm Streets. The train's only occupants – an engineer and a conductor – sustained minor injuries.[19]

Station layout

The station has one five-car-long high-level side platform to the west of the tracks. The station is served by 3 tracks from the New Canaan Branch. Two tracks east of the platform track are used for train storage.[20]: 25 

The station has commuter parking in several parking lots within a short walk from the station. There are two lots near the station with numbered spaces for daily parking.

References

  1. 1 2 Office of Rail, Bureau of Public Transportation (January 2007). "New Haven Line Train Station Visual Inspection, Summary Report" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation.
  2. ↑ "New Canaan Train Station". Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  3. ↑ Metro-North 2018 Weekday Station Boardings. Metro-North Railroad Market Analysis/Fare Policy Group. April 2019. p. 6.
  4. ↑ "About the New Canaan Branch Line". Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Non-stop Runs Set From New Canaan". The New York Times. March 6, 1955. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  6. ↑ "New Canaan Riders Get Parking Break". The New York Times. September 16, 1955. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Rail Depot Agreed on; New Canaan and New Haven Road Arrange for Project". The New York Times. April 25, 1958. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Parking Lot Sought; New Canaan Asked to Buy Old Rail Station". The New York Times. January 23, 1959. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  9. ↑ "New Canaan Wins; Agreement Provides for Rail Station and Parking Lot". The New York Times. June 26, 1959. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  10. ↑ Parke, Richard H. (September 27, 1959). "Depot Site Found for New Canaan; Officials Will Meet Alpert Tomorrow to Sign Plan to Build New Station". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  11. ↑ "New Canaan Depot Defeated in Vote". The New York Times. November 22, 1959. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  12. ↑ "New Canaan Rejects Bonding". The New York Times. June 22, 1961. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Two killed, 29 are hurt in New Canaan rail crash". The Day, New London, CT. Front. AP. July 14, 1976. pp. 1, 5. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  14. ↑ Knight, Michael (October 10, 1976). "Connecticut Transportation Unit Links Train Wreck to Speeding". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  15. ↑ "New Canaan Is to Get A Better Train Signal". The New York Times. July 30, 1976. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  16. ↑ Freedman, Samuel G. (August 30, 1982). "At New Canaan Station, That's the Way the Platform Crumbles". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  17. ↑ Connecticut Department of Transportation Individual Station Report for Talmadge Hill, 2003, accessed July 22, 2007
  18. ↑ "mta.info - Metro-North Railroad: Selected Ticket Offices Close On July 7th". Metro-North Railroad. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Service resumes on Metro-North's New Canaan branch after derailed train". Stamford Advocate. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  20. ↑ "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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