Bethel station is a

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

station on the

Danbury Branch The Danbury Branch is a 23.9-mile (38 km) long branch line of the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line in the U.S. state of Connecticut, running from downtown Norwalk north to Danbury. All trains along the branch make stops at the line ...

of the

Metro-North Railroad The Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company , also branded as MTA Metro-North Railroad and commonly called simply Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State publ ...

New Haven Line The New Haven Line is a commuter rail line operated by the Metro-North Railroad in the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Connecticut. Running from New Haven, Connecticut, to New York City, the New Haven Line joins the Harlem Line ...

, located in

Bethel, Connecticut Bethel () is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the town was 20,358. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connect ...

History

The original Bethel station opened in 1852 on the

Danbury and Norwalk Railroad The Danbury and Norwalk Railroad, chartered in 1836 as the Fairfield County Railroad, was an independent United States, American railroad that operated between the cities of Danbury, Connecticut, Danbury and Norwalk, Connecticut from 1852 until i ...

. The original station building eventually burned down on December 15, 1898, as a result of an overheated stove. The station was eventually replaced the following year in 1899. The 1899-built station served passengers until 1996, when it was taken out of service but not demolished. The current station on Durant Avenue was built in 1996 and succeeds the previous station on Depot Place. The old station is still standing, but trains no longer stop at it. The building subsequently became a bicycle shop, then a brewery.

Station layout

The station has a five-car-long high-level side platform to the east of the single track. The station has 197 parking spaces, all owned by the state."Task 2: Technical Memorandum parking Inventory and Utilization: Final Report" submitted by Urbitran Associates Inc. to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, "Table 1: New haven Line Parking Capacity and Utilization", page 6, July 2003
Most of these are permit spaces, but there is also metered parking available. Two EV charging stations are also available. The station building is open during rush hours and has a bakery, seating area, and restroom, but no ticket machines. The station is operated by the town of Bethel, though it is owned by ConnDOT.

References

External links

Connecticut Department of Transportation, "Condition Inspection Bethel Station" report, July 2002Station House from Google Maps Street View (Exterior)
Former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad stations Metro-North Railroad stations in Connecticut Railroad stations in Fairfield County, Connecticut Railway stations in the United States opened in 1996 Buildings and structures in Bethel, Connecticut {{Connecticut-railstation-stub