Danbury station

Danbury station is a commuter rail station on the Danbury Branch of the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line, located in Danbury, Connecticut. The station is the northern terminus of the Danbury Branch.

Danbury
A northbound train arriving at the station
General information
Location	1 Patriot Drive Danbury, Connecticut
Coordinates	41.3963°N 73.4493°W / 41.3963; -73.4493
Owned by	Connecticut Department of Transportation[1]
Operated by	City of Danbury[1]
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	3
Connections	HARTransit: 2, 7
Construction
Parking	647 spaces (147 in surface lot, 550 in public parking garage)
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	42
History
Opened	1852
Rebuilt	1996
Passengers
2018	185 daily boardings[2]
Services
Preceding station Metro-North Railroad Following station Bethel toward South Norwalk, Stamford or Grand Central Danbury Branch Terminus
Proposed services Preceding station Metro-North Railroad Following station Bethel toward South Norwalk, Stamford or Grand Central Danbury Branch North Danbury toward New Milford
Location

Station layout

The station has one three-car-long high-level island platform on the north side of the two-track line. A stub siding serves the north side of the platform. The station building contains the passenger waiting area and restrooms. A ticket machine is located on the platform alongside the building.^[3]: 28

The surface parking lot at the station has 147 parking spaces, all of which are owned by the state and operated by the Danbury Parking Authority.^[4] 134 of the station's parking spots are reserved for permit holders, while the rest are metered spots. The Danbury Parking Authority also operates the Terence E. McNally Patriot Garage, a public 550 car parking garage with EV charging stations, located directly across the street from the train station.^[5]

History

The former Danbury Union Station

The original Danbury station opened in 1852 as the northern terminus of the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad. Throughout the history of the Danbury station, the station has had many different depots. The first depot was opened in 1852 and served as the headquarters for the D&N. The Danbury station would have three different depots over the course of its history from 1852 to today.^[6] The 1903-built union station was an important part of Danbury's industrial expansion through the 1900s. However, by 1995, the Union station had fallen into complete disrepair, and was replaced by today's station in 1996.^[7]

The present passenger station was built in 1996 by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) and replaced the older New Haven Railroad station, which now houses the Danbury Railway Museum.^[8]

In 2018, the city proposed to relocate the Housatonic Area Regional Transit transfer hub to a parcel across the street from the station, with a footbridge connecting them.^[9] The city received $1.6 million in federal funds in 2024 to design the transit center.^[10]