Fairfield station (Metro-North)

Fairfield
The westbound platform at Fairfield station in July 2019
General information
Location	165 Unquowa Road (westbound) Fairfield, Connecticut
Coordinates	41°08′39″N73°15′28″W / 41.14413°N 73.25773°W / 41.14413; -73.25773
Owned by	ConnDOT
Line(s)	ConnDOT New Haven Line (Northeast Corridor)
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Connections	GBTA: Coastal Link, 7 Fairfield University Shuttle
Construction
Parking	1,216 spaces
Accessible	Partial (route between platforms not accessible)
Other information
Fare zone	18
History
Opened	December 25, 1848 [1] [2]
Passengers
2018	2,311 daily boardings [3]
Services
Preceding station Metro-North Railroad Following station Southport toward Grand Central New Haven Line Fairfield Metro toward New Haven or New Haven State Street
Former services Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station Southport toward New York Main Line Bridgeport toward New Haven
Fairfield Railroad Stations
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Fairfield, Connecticut
Area	0.7 acres (0.3 ha)
Built	1882, 1890s
Architectural style	Stick/Eastlake
NRHP reference No.	89000926 [4]
Added to NRHP	July 28, 1989

Fairfield station is a commuter rail station on the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line, located in Fairfield, Connecticut. The former station buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Fairfield Railroad Stations.

History

The 1882-built eastbound station

Old station buildings, now reused for other purposes, are adjacent to both platforms. The brick eastbound (south) station was built in 1882. It replaced a station burned by a fire, and "is typical of the substantial brick stations built at small-town stops throughout the state in the period. Whereas earlier stations had been small wood-frame buildings, often in a picturesque Gothic or Italianate style, the stations of the 1880s were brick" to be fire-resistant and were larger to accommodate larger waiting areas and other amenities. They were "well-built but utilitarian" structures. ^{[5] : 5} The wooden westbound station "stands as an excellent example of the New Haven Railroad's 1890s passenger facilities" reflecting changed priorities. ^{[5] : 5}

The Budd M2 cars necessitated high level platforms, and the low-level platforms were replaced in 1972.

The two station buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. ^[4] The 0.7-acre (0.28 ha) listed area was defined to include the two stations and their immediate surroundings, but to exclude a passenger cross-over and stairway, and to exclude associated parking areas. ^[5]

The ticket window in the westbound station building was closed on July 7, 2010. ^[6]

Station layout

The station has two side platforms, each six cars (510 feet) long, serving the outer tracks of the four-track Northeast Corridor. ^{[7] : 22} Stairs connect the platforms to the Unquowa Road overpass at the east end of the station. Fairfield station is only partially accessible - while the platforms are fully accessible, there is no accessible route between the platforms. ^[8]

The station has 1,216 parking spaces, 376 of which are owned by the state and operated by the town; the main lot is on the north side of the station. ^[9]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Fairfield County, Connecticut

References

1. Jenkins, Stephen (1912). The Story of the Bronx from the Purchase Made by the Dutch from the Indians in 1639 to the Present Day. New York, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. p. 235.
2. "Special Express Notice". The Evening Post. New York, New York. February 12, 1849. p. 3. Retrieved December 9, 2019– via Newspapers.com.
3. Metro-North 2018 Weekday Station Boardings. Metro-North Railroad Market Analysis/Fare Policy Group. April 2019. p. 6.
4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
5. Brian Clouette (August 29, 1988). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Fairfield Railroad Stations". (includes sketch map). National Park Service. and Accompanying eight photos, from 1988
6. "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.
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. "Fairfield". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
9. Urbitran Associates Inc. (July 2003). "Task 2: Technical Memorandum parking Inventory and Utilization: Final Report" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. Table 1: New haven Line Parking Capacity and Utilization, Page 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 12, 2007.

External links

• Metro-North station page for Fairfield
• List of upcoming Metro-North train departure times and track assignments from MTA
• Bureau of Public Transportation of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, "Condition Inspection for the Fairfield Station" report dated July 2002
• Station House and Station from Google Maps Street View
• http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/documents/dpt/1_Station_Inspection_Summary_Report.pdf
• Fairfield Station shearing photographs and Tolly Bowden oral history, State Library of Queensland