.gif)
Stamford (Metro-North station)
Encyclopedia
The Stamford Metro-North Railroad
station, officially known as the Stamford Transportation Center serves commuters both leaving and entering Stamford, Connecticut
via the New Haven Line. Some Amtrak
Northeast Corridor
trains also stop at Stamford.
The station is 33 miles from Grand Central Terminal
. Just north of the station is the split for the New Canaan Branch. A few Shore Line East
trains terminate at Stamford during the morning rush hour, and originate there in the evening.
Continental Airlines
codeshares with Amtrak to provide service out of Stamford station to the train station at Continental's Northeast hub, Newark Liberty International Airport
. As such, the train station has the IATA Airport Code
(as an IATA-indexed train station) ZTF.
Downtown Stamford is directly north of the station.
Stamford is the busiest New Haven Line station outside of New York City
. As of August 2006, weekday commuter ridership for Metro-North was 7,147 and there are 2,215 parking spaces. That's up from an average of 6,100 weekday inbound boardings in 2001 — 2,942 during peak times and 3,158 during off-peak times.
The station, along with the downtown Greenwich railroad station
, is receiving increasing numbers of "reverse commute
rs" who work in Stamford but live in New York City. Reverse commuting has doubled from 1997 to 2007 and increased 150 percent since 1990, with 1,900 reverse commuters as of 2007. Younger employees, often single and with enough money to live in Manhattan, for instance, sometimes prefer to live there, although more housing and nightlife have come to Downtown Stamford
in recent years. Metro-North has added trains and express service to serve these commuters. As financial companies move to Stamford from Manhattan, some employees often become reverse commuters. Larger companies that are farther away than a few minutes walk from the station routinely provide shuttle service for their workers.
Of the twelve Connecticut stations served by Amtrak, Stamford was the second busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of nearly 1000 passengers daily.
Due to ridership growth in recent years, eastern Connecticut
rail service provider Shore Line East
announced on 19 March 2007 that it would extend some of its trains to Stamford station during peak hours. To coincide with the extension of this service, Metro-North added another five trains on the New Haven Line to cope with the increases in passenger demand at Stamford.
Along with Metro-North service, trains run by national service provider Amtrak
stop at Stamford station. The Acela Express
, the only high-speed rail service
in the United States
; the Northeast Regional, providing local service along the Northeast Corridor
, on which Stamford is a vital station; and the Vermonter
, the only train that goes to Vermont
and splits at New Haven
, all stop at Stamford station. Stamford is now the second-busiest Amtrak station in Connecticut, after New Haven's Union Station
.
. The station was criticized for "a harshness almost unequaled in contemporary architecture" as well as for cost overruns and many functional failings, including the lack of shelter for the track platforms. The route from the cross-tracks waiting room to the platform was so long and indirect that passengers who waited indoors until a train's arrival was announced could not get to the platform in time to board it.
A complete renovation of the station in the early 2000s attempted to address these problems. The two platforms were made island platforms, capable of serving four tracks. Added features included platform canopies, stairs and escalators directly from the waiting room for the tracks, and a new platform crossover, connecting to the parking garage.
, and Java Joe's. Downstairs below the platform level in the tunnel there is an MTA police station, Juan's Barbershop, a watch and shoe repair store, a Subway restaurant and The Cellar Wine and Beer Liquor Store (home of BeerTrainFriday.com) There is also a Greyhound/Peter Pan office and CT Transit Customer Information Center. Stairs and escalators lead to the platform level. Stamford has four high-level platforms, which give access to four tracks. A fifth track lies between the express tracks, so that Amtrak and peak-hour Metro-North trains not stopping there may bypass the station safely at full speed. On the south side of the station, across an access street, is a large parking garage connected to the concourse by one pedestrian bridge and directly connected to the east end of the platforms by a second bridge (both bridges connect to Level 4 of the garage).
A bus station is located just to the north of the train station, underneath a large bridge carrying Interstate 95. Taxis, often lined up by the dozens, pick up passengers at a stand on the south side of the station. A car rental agency is located southwest of the station building.
s and two high-level 12-car-long island platform
s. The northern side platform, adjacent to Track 5, and the northern island platform, adjacent to Tracks 3 and 5, are generally used by New Canaan Branch trains, by westbound or Manhattan
-bound New Haven Line trains, and by southbound Amtrak trains. The southern island platform, adjacent to Tracks 2 and 4, and the southern side platform, adjacent to Track 4, are generally used by eastbound or outbound New Haven Line trains and by northbound Amtrak trains.
The New Haven Line has five tracks at this location. Track 1, not adjacent to any of the platforms, is used only by express trains.
The South End of Stamford
is on the southern side of the station and is currently a poor neighborhood about to undergo massive redevelopment already approved by city land-use authorities. The West Side of Stamford
begins a couple of blocks to the northwest of the station, across the Mill River, and is considered the city's most dangerous section.
All of Downtown Stamford
, including corporate offices, entertainment and cultural venues, shopping and restaurants, is within walking distance of the train station, almost all of it less than a mile and all of it to the north, across Interstate 95
. The most direct and well-traveled access is along Washington Boulevard (at the west end of the station). Direct access is also along Atlantic Street (on the east end of the station; past Broad street it becomes Bedford Street). The major east-west streets parallel to the tracks and to Interstate 95 are Tresser Boulevard (a block north) and Broad Street (three and sometimes two blocks north).
These two streets, immediately north of the station, have narrow sidewalks and are less pedestrian-friendly than Tresser Boulevard, a block north: The northeast exit from the station joins with I-95 Exit 7 to become South State Street, a one-way street running east, between the railroad tracks and Interstate 95
. North State Street is a one-way road running west that is just north of the highway. Tresser Boulevard is a block north of North State Street and runs parallel to it.
The only major office building near the south side of the tracks is Metro Center, operational headquarters of Thompson Corporation. UBS AG
North American headquarters is immediately north of the station (with additional offices in One Stamford Forum on Tresser Boulevard). Royal Bank of Scotland
North American headquarters (across the street from UBS) has recently been completed and now serves as the central office for all North American Investment Banking operations. Purdue Pharma
headquarters is on Tresser Boulevard. Several corporate headquarters, including Xerox
are not in the downtown area and not within walking distance.
shopping mall and Government Center (at the intersection with Washington Boulevard), the city government headquarters. The Stamford campus of the University of Connecticut
is about three blocks north of Government Center on Washington Boulevard and Broad Street. In addition to the mall (in which Macy's, Barnes & Noble and Saks Fifth Avenue are located) large, "big box" stores downtown include Target (across the street from UConn-Stamford) and Burlington Coat Factory. There are no museums in Downtown Stamford. Restaurants and bars are located throughout the downtown area, with concentrations around Columbus Park, Summer Street, Bedford Street and Atlantic Street.
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
station, officially known as the Stamford Transportation Center serves commuters both leaving and entering Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
via the New Haven Line. Some Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
trains also stop at Stamford.
The station is 33 miles from Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
. Just north of the station is the split for the New Canaan Branch. A few Shore Line East
Shore Line East
Shore Line East is a commuter rail service operating in southern Connecticut, USA. A fully owned subsidiary of the Connecticut Department of Transportation , SLE provides service seven days a week along the Northeast Corridor from New London west to New Haven, with continuing service to Bridgeport...
trains terminate at Stamford during the morning rush hour, and originate there in the evening.
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
codeshares with Amtrak to provide service out of Stamford station to the train station at Continental's Northeast hub, Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
. As such, the train station has the IATA Airport Code
IATA airport code
An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association...
(as an IATA-indexed train station) ZTF.
Downtown Stamford is directly north of the station.
Ridership
A total of 30 percent more of the Metro-North riders who use the station are getting off the morning trains to go to work in Stamford than the number leaving for elsewhere. The number of commuters riding into the station in the morning doubled in the decade up to 2006 (2,155 in 1996 and 4,226 in 2006). More office space is being built near the train station to allow commuters to avoid Interstate 95, which typically clogs up at rush hour in Stamford. The Royal Bank of Scotland is building a $400 million office complex due to be complete in 2008 and within 200 yards of the station. The building will have room for 1,400 traders.Stamford is the busiest New Haven Line station outside of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. As of August 2006, weekday commuter ridership for Metro-North was 7,147 and there are 2,215 parking spaces. That's up from an average of 6,100 weekday inbound boardings in 2001 — 2,942 during peak times and 3,158 during off-peak times.
The station, along with the downtown Greenwich railroad station
Greenwich (Metro-North station)
The Greenwich Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of Greenwich, Connecticut via the New Haven Line and is the first station on that line in the state of Connecticut...
, is receiving increasing numbers of "reverse commute
Reverse commute
A reverse commute is a round trip, regularly taken, from a metropolitan area to a suburban one in the morning, and returning in the evening. It is almost universally applied to the trip to work in the suburbs from home in the city...
rs" who work in Stamford but live in New York City. Reverse commuting has doubled from 1997 to 2007 and increased 150 percent since 1990, with 1,900 reverse commuters as of 2007. Younger employees, often single and with enough money to live in Manhattan, for instance, sometimes prefer to live there, although more housing and nightlife have come to Downtown Stamford
Downtown Stamford
Downtown Stamford is the central business district of the city of Stamford, Connecticut, USA. It is an economically thriving area of the city, with major retail establishments, a shopping mall, a university campus, the headquarters of major corporations and fortune 500 companies, as well as other...
in recent years. Metro-North has added trains and express service to serve these commuters. As financial companies move to Stamford from Manhattan, some employees often become reverse commuters. Larger companies that are farther away than a few minutes walk from the station routinely provide shuttle service for their workers.
Of the twelve Connecticut stations served by Amtrak, Stamford was the second busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of nearly 1000 passengers daily.
Rail services
Stamford receives very frequent rail service on the New Haven Line. During peak hours, trains at Stamford come in intervals as little as three or seven minutes apart. Reverse commute trains during rush hours also operate relatively frequently, at intervals of ten to twenty minutes. Off-peak trains in both directions arrive at Stamford every thirty to forty minutes, but usually within a half-hour of each other.Due to ridership growth in recent years, eastern Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
rail service provider Shore Line East
Shore Line East
Shore Line East is a commuter rail service operating in southern Connecticut, USA. A fully owned subsidiary of the Connecticut Department of Transportation , SLE provides service seven days a week along the Northeast Corridor from New London west to New Haven, with continuing service to Bridgeport...
announced on 19 March 2007 that it would extend some of its trains to Stamford station during peak hours. To coincide with the extension of this service, Metro-North added another five trains on the New Haven Line to cope with the increases in passenger demand at Stamford.
Along with Metro-North service, trains run by national service provider Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
stop at Stamford station. The Acela Express
Acela Express
The Acela Express is Amtrak's high-speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor in the Northeast United States between Washington, D.C., and Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York...
, the only high-speed rail service
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; the Northeast Regional, providing local service along the Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
, on which Stamford is a vital station; and the Vermonter
Vermonter
Amtrak's Vermonter is a 611-mile passenger train service between St. Albans , New York City and Washington, D.C. One trip runs in each direction per day....
, the only train that goes to Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and splits at New Haven
Union Station (New Haven)
Union Station, also known as New Haven Railroad Station, is the main railroad passenger station in New Haven, Connecticut. Designed by noted American architect Cass Gilbert, the beaux-arts Union Station was completed and opened in 1920 after the previous Union Station was...
, all stop at Stamford station. Stamford is now the second-busiest Amtrak station in Connecticut, after New Haven's Union Station
Union Station (New Haven)
Union Station, also known as New Haven Railroad Station, is the main railroad passenger station in New Haven, Connecticut. Designed by noted American architect Cass Gilbert, the beaux-arts Union Station was completed and opened in 1920 after the previous Union Station was...
.
Criticism
In 1987, the New York Times published a review of the then-new Stamford Transportation Center by architecture critic Paul GoldbergerPaul Goldberger
Paul Goldberger is the Architecture Critic for The New Yorker, where since 1997 he has written the magazine's celebrated "Sky Line" column. He also holds the Joseph Urban Chair in Design and Architecture at The New School in New York City...
. The station was criticized for "a harshness almost unequaled in contemporary architecture" as well as for cost overruns and many functional failings, including the lack of shelter for the track platforms. The route from the cross-tracks waiting room to the platform was so long and indirect that passengers who waited indoors until a train's arrival was announced could not get to the platform in time to board it.
A complete renovation of the station in the early 2000s attempted to address these problems. The two platforms were made island platforms, capable of serving four tracks. Added features included platform canopies, stairs and escalators directly from the waiting room for the tracks, and a new platform crossover, connecting to the parking garage.
History
Regular daily train service began in Stamford on January 1, 1849. In 1867, a depot was built one block east of the present location. The railroad at that time consisted of two tracks and passed through town on ground level (crossing the streets at grade). In the mid-1890s two more tracks were added to the line and most crossings were elevated and bridged, so the 1867 depot, shown in the picture below, was razed and replaced.Layout
The main station concourse straddles the tracks of the Northeast Corridor, and contains the ticket booth, a passenger waiting area, newsstands, a shoe-shine spot, a Dunkin' DonutsDunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts is an international doughnut and coffee retailer founded in 1950 by William Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts; it is now headquartered in Canton...
, and Java Joe's. Downstairs below the platform level in the tunnel there is an MTA police station, Juan's Barbershop, a watch and shoe repair store, a Subway restaurant and The Cellar Wine and Beer Liquor Store (home of BeerTrainFriday.com) There is also a Greyhound/Peter Pan office and CT Transit Customer Information Center. Stairs and escalators lead to the platform level. Stamford has four high-level platforms, which give access to four tracks. A fifth track lies between the express tracks, so that Amtrak and peak-hour Metro-North trains not stopping there may bypass the station safely at full speed. On the south side of the station, across an access street, is a large parking garage connected to the concourse by one pedestrian bridge and directly connected to the east end of the platforms by a second bridge (both bridges connect to Level 4 of the garage).
A bus station is located just to the north of the train station, underneath a large bridge carrying Interstate 95. Taxis, often lined up by the dozens, pick up passengers at a stand on the south side of the station. A car rental agency is located southwest of the station building.
Platform and track configuration
This station has two high-level 10-car-long side platformSide platform
A Side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, a tram stop or a transitway. A pair of side platforms are often provided on a dual track line with a single side platform being sufficient for a single track line...
s and two high-level 12-car-long island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
s. The northern side platform, adjacent to Track 5, and the northern island platform, adjacent to Tracks 3 and 5, are generally used by New Canaan Branch trains, by westbound or Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
-bound New Haven Line trains, and by southbound Amtrak trains. The southern island platform, adjacent to Tracks 2 and 4, and the southern side platform, adjacent to Track 4, are generally used by eastbound or outbound New Haven Line trains and by northbound Amtrak trains.
The New Haven Line has five tracks at this location. Track 1, not adjacent to any of the platforms, is used only by express trains.
Within walking distance
South End of Stamford
The South End of Stamford, Connecticut is a rapidly growing neighborhood located at the southern end of the city, just south of the Downtown neighborhood. It is expected to be greatly changed with redevelopment over the next decade...
is on the southern side of the station and is currently a poor neighborhood about to undergo massive redevelopment already approved by city land-use authorities. The West Side of Stamford
West Side of Stamford
The West Side of Stamford, Connecticut, also known as Richmond Hill, is one of the oldest sections in the state of Connecticut. It is located north of the Waterside neighborhood, west of Downtown and east of Greenwich, Connecticut...
begins a couple of blocks to the northwest of the station, across the Mill River, and is considered the city's most dangerous section.
All of Downtown Stamford
Downtown Stamford
Downtown Stamford is the central business district of the city of Stamford, Connecticut, USA. It is an economically thriving area of the city, with major retail establishments, a shopping mall, a university campus, the headquarters of major corporations and fortune 500 companies, as well as other...
, including corporate offices, entertainment and cultural venues, shopping and restaurants, is within walking distance of the train station, almost all of it less than a mile and all of it to the north, across Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Connecticut
Interstate 95, the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, runs in a general east–west compass direction for 111.57 miles in Connecticut from the Rhode Island state line to the New York State line. I-95 Southbound from East Lyme to the New York State...
. The most direct and well-traveled access is along Washington Boulevard (at the west end of the station). Direct access is also along Atlantic Street (on the east end of the station; past Broad street it becomes Bedford Street). The major east-west streets parallel to the tracks and to Interstate 95 are Tresser Boulevard (a block north) and Broad Street (three and sometimes two blocks north).
These two streets, immediately north of the station, have narrow sidewalks and are less pedestrian-friendly than Tresser Boulevard, a block north: The northeast exit from the station joins with I-95 Exit 7 to become South State Street, a one-way street running east, between the railroad tracks and Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Connecticut
Interstate 95, the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, runs in a general east–west compass direction for 111.57 miles in Connecticut from the Rhode Island state line to the New York State line. I-95 Southbound from East Lyme to the New York State...
. North State Street is a one-way road running west that is just north of the highway. Tresser Boulevard is a block north of North State Street and runs parallel to it.
Entertainment and culture
Entertainment and cultural venues include Rich Forum (music, dance and theater) on Atlantic Street and Tresser Boulevard; the Palace Theatre (music and theater), farther north on Atlantic Street; Avon Theatre (arthouse movies), still farther north; Columbus Park (summer concerts); Bowtie Majestic and Bowtie Landmark cinemas. The city's large public library, Ferguson Library, is at the corner of Atlantic Street and Broad Street. A Starbucks coffee house in the same building has direct access to the Ferguson's used book store.Offices
UBS AG
UBS AG is a Swiss global financial services company headquartered in Basel and Zürich, Switzerland, which provides investment banking, asset management, and wealth management services for private, corporate, and institutional clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland...
North American headquarters is immediately north of the station (with additional offices in One Stamford Forum on Tresser Boulevard). Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
North American headquarters (across the street from UBS) has recently been completed and now serves as the central office for all North American Investment Banking operations. Purdue Pharma
Purdue Pharma
Purdue Pharma L.P., is a privately held pharmaceutical company founded by physicians and now located in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. In its early years, Purdue was known for its antiseptic product, Betadine Solution, and its Senokot laxatives...
headquarters is on Tresser Boulevard. Several corporate headquarters, including Xerox
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
are not in the downtown area and not within walking distance.
Other Downtown locations
Also on Tresser Boulevard is the south entrance of Stamford Town CenterStamford Town Center
Stamford Town Center is an urban shopping mall in Downtown Stamford, Connecticut. The mall is the eighth largest in Connecticut, with space for about 130 stores and restaurants. It includes a Macy's and a Saks Fifth Avenue as anchors. The 1991 picture, Scenes from a Mall, was partially filmed...
shopping mall and Government Center (at the intersection with Washington Boulevard), the city government headquarters. The Stamford campus of the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
is about three blocks north of Government Center on Washington Boulevard and Broad Street. In addition to the mall (in which Macy's, Barnes & Noble and Saks Fifth Avenue are located) large, "big box" stores downtown include Target (across the street from UConn-Stamford) and Burlington Coat Factory. There are no museums in Downtown Stamford. Restaurants and bars are located throughout the downtown area, with concentrations around Columbus Park, Summer Street, Bedford Street and Atlantic Street.
See also
- Connecticut Rail Commuter CouncilConnecticut Rail Commuter CouncilThe Connecticut Rail Commuter Council is an independent state board that acts as an advocate for commuters on the Metro-North and Shore Line East railroads....
is the official state advocate for commuters and brings station problems to the attention of officials.
External links
- Metro-North Railroad Web page for the Stamford station
- List of upcoming Metro-North train arrival and departure times and track assignments from MTA
- Fix My Station Photo Campaign Web page for the Stamford station
- The Subway Nut Web page for the Stamford station
- Stamford Amtrak-Metro North-Shore Line East Station (USA Rail Guide - Train Web)