Fairfield station (Metro-North) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fairfield
The westbound platform at Fairfield station in July 2019
Location	165 Unquowa Road (westbound) Fairfield, Connecticut
Coordinates	41°08′39″N 73°15′28″W / 41.144132°N 73.257737°W / 41.144132; -73.257737
Owned by	ConnDOT
Line(s)	Northeast Corridor
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Connections	Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority: Coastal Link, 7 Fairfield University Shuttle
Construction
Parking	1,216 spaces
Disabled access	Partial
Other information
Fare zone	18
History
Opened	December 25, 1848
Traffic
Passengers (2018)	2,311
Rank	27 of 124
Services
Preceding station Metro-North Following station Southport towards Grand Central New Haven Line Fairfield Metro towards 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
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.

Station layout

The station has two side platforms, each six cars (510 feet) long, serving the outer tracks of the four-track Northeast Corridor. 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.

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.

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. The wooden westbound station "stands as an excellent example of the New Haven Railroad's 1890s passenger facilities" reflecting changed priorities.

The stations as a pair were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. According to the 1988 NRHP application:

The Fairfield railway stations are significant as reminders of the important role of railroad passenger service in the historical development of Fairfield, as artifacts of the New Haven Railroad, a company that virtually monopolized the state's public transportation at the end of the 19th century, and as well-preserved examples of small-town station architecture.

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.

The ticket window in the westbound station building was closed July 7, 2010; vending machines next to the platforms remained available.

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