DANBURY BRANCH LINE
STATIONS OVERVIEW

This text is a summary of current conditions and recommended enhancements to Danbury Branch Line railroad stations in the Housatonic Valley (Greater Danbury) Planning Region. Note that the Branch Line extends through two of Connecticut's planning regions, from Norwalk in the South Western Region northerly to Danbury in the Housatonic Valley Region.

There are seven Branch Line stations from south to north with one in Norwalk, two in Wilton, then one each in Ridgefield, Redding, Bethel and Danbury. Only detailed recommendations for the Housatonic Region's four northern or "Upper Branch Line" stations given here, Ridgefield, Redding, Bethel and Danbury Stations.

The regional transportation planning authorities for both Region's have endorsed the northern extension of the Branch Line beyond Danbury to New Milford. Three additional stations will be needed to serve that area. Reviews of these station sites, proposed Danbury North, Brookfield and New Milford Stations, are included herein.

This text draws upon recent technical studies of the Branch Line, as well as new information completed by the planning staff of the Housatonic Area Regional Transit District (HART). The bulk of the research summarizes the expansion of rail passenger service proposed by the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials (HVCEO) and the South Western Regional Planning Agency (SWRPA) in their joint 2000 Route 7 Corridor Travel Options Implementation Plan. 

According to the summary of that plan, rail passenger service frequency would first be expanded on the existing Norwalk to Danbury Branch Line. The second part of the plan would then extend passenger service northerly to New Milford, adding three new stations. As projections show that  the addition of train service would attract more riders, parking capacity at existing Branch Line stations would need to be upgraded accordingly.

The 2000 SWRPA-HVCEO Branch Line plan evaluated parking needs with and without service expansion. It was found that even without service expansion, the number of parkers at stations was expected to continue to grow during the 2000-2015 projection period. By 2015 this demand will exceed the current parking space inventory at four of the present seven stations. 

According to the 2000 Plan "876 additional riders are expected to board the Danbury Branch between 1999 and 2015 with no improvements to service. This represents an almost 70 percent increase in ridership due to population growth and highway congestion."  

Then if Phase 1 and Phase 2 train service is added, boosting service from 20 trains per day to 31 and then in phase 2 up to 38 per day, parking supply would be exceeded at all seven Branch Line stations. The following table from the 2000 plan portrays this tightening situation:

The following links lead to Danbury Branch Line passenger station information for the entire Line:

Conn DOT 2007 Rail Station Visual Inspection Reports

Danbury Branch Line Railroad Stations in
the South Western Region (Norwalk and Wilton):
1. Merritt 7 (northern Norwalk, CT) Station Overview by Metro-North 
1. View of Merritt 7 Corporate Office Park
2. Wilton, CT Station Overview by Metro-North
3. Cannondale (northern Wilton, CT) Station Overview by Metro-North

Danbury Branch Line Railroad Stations in southern and central
Housatonic Valley Region (Ridgefield, Redding, Bethel and Danbury):
4. Branchville (southern Ridgefield, CT) Station Overview by Metro-North
4. Branchville (southern Ridgefield, CT) Station Planning Overview
5. Redding, CT Station Overview by Metro-North 
5. Redding, CT Station Planning Overview

6. Bethel, CT Station Overview by Metro-North 
6. Bethel, CT Station Planning Overview
7. Danbury, CT Station Overview by Metro-North 
7. Danbury, CT Station Planning Overview

Proposed Danbury Branch Line Railroad Stations in Central and
Northern Housatonic Valley Region (Danbury, Brookfield, New Milford):
8. Proposed Danbury North (northern Danbury, CT) Station Planning Overview
9. Proposed Brookfield, CT Station Planning Overview
10. Proposed New Milford, CT Station Planning Overview

4. BRANCHVILLE, CT
RAILROAD STATION PLANNING OVERVIEW 

4A. BRANCHVILLE, CT STATION PHYSICAL SETTING
Branchville Railroad Station is located in Ridgefield, CT directly off of Route 7, near the intersection of Route 7 and Route 102. It is 12.7 rail miles north of the main new Haven Line at the South Norwalk Railroad Station and 3.8 miles north of the Cannondale Station in Wilton, CT.  Access to the station is by bridge and across an ungated at-grade railroad crossing. 

A 1998 historic resource survey by Conn DOT indicates that this station was built in 1905 to the standard design of railroad stations at the turn of the century. It is described as a "one story, Stick style, railroad station, constructed on a fieldstone foundation with a wood frame structural system, asbestos shingle siding, and side gambrel and mansard roof units." The report recommended the building for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. A view of the station is available.

The Town of Ridgefield leases the station and adjacent property from Conn DOT. The interior was sublet in 1982 to a business that restored the historic character of the inside and has operated the Whistle Stop Bakery since that time. There are no ticket sales or transit information available in the interior. On the outside public telephones and overhead lighting are provided.

A passenger siding, along with associated track work, was installed at Branchville 1991 in order to allow for more passenger train operations in both directions. A high level platform was then constructed 1992 to improve passenger boarding and deboarding and reduce station dwell times.

The Branchville Station is served by the Danbury-Norwalk Route 7 Link bus, operated jointly by the Norwalk Transit District and HART. In 2000 Conn DOT estimated that the percentage of riders boarding at Branchville and bound for Stamford was 18%.

4B. BRANCHVILLE, CT STATION PARKING
This particular parking lot is the most heavily used of any commuter facility in the ten town Housatonic Region. In contrast to Danbury, Bethel and Redding stations, parking at Branchville is provided at no cost. The 2000 Travel Options Plan recorded 170 parking spaces, with observed parking utilization at 173 vehicles, over capacity. 

The 2000 Travel Options Plan projects that even without any additional train service, due to changing journey to work patterns, population growth and highway congestion, by 2015 the demand for parking spaces at crowded Branchville Station will be 154 spaces beyond supply. 

And further, if during that period train services increase from the present 20 stops per day to 31(the Phase 1 expansion) the parking demand deficit figure rises to 197. Adding the Phase 2 Branch Line expansion, 38 trains per day, pushes the parking demand deficit at Branchville up to 223, the highest projected deficit on the Branch Line.

4C. BRANCHVILLE, CT STATION DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
As part of a comprehensive municipal improvement plan for the Branchville Village section of Ridgefield, the Ridgefield Planning and Zoning Commission developed a concept plan to enhance the parking facilities at the station. In its unapproved draft 2002 Branchville Village Plan, the Commission suggests the construction of a decked parking structure, designed with an attractive facade reminiscent of an historic mill building, to augment parking supply at Branchville Station. 

As part of this plan the two access points off of Route 7 to the current station would be relocated slightly. In addition, the upper level of the new parking deck structure could have access directly from West Branchville Road.

For perspective, a three level parking structure has already been proposed by Conn DOT for the Wilton Railroad Station to the south to relieve parking congestion there. As noted in the 2000 Travel Options Plan the "impediment to use of commuter rail is insufficient parking at Branchville and Wilton stations, where steps should be taken to increase the parking supply." Wilton is amenable to the Conn DOT proposal.

Other recommendations include preservation of the current Station building as part of the quaint neighborhood character of Branchville, working with Conn DOT to redesign access to the Station, supporting enhancement of the Station as a multi-modal transportation center, and investigation of providing a shuttle bus for commuters from the Station to Ridgefield Center and major employers in the area. 

Further, the draft Plan would "Encourage the State to coordinate with Metro North Railroad to improve service on and electrify the Danbury-Norwalk line." 

4D. NON-RAIL MOBILITY OPTIONS
TO BRANCHVILLE, CT STATION
This station is a relatively good candidate for shuttle services. Branchville may also be a good candidate for a station car demonstration project as well. 

As for the potential for reverse commute, major employers with potential for reverse commute van shuttles include ASML and Norco, both located along the Route 7 corridor north of the station between the route 7 & 102 and 7 & 35 intersections. 

Both the introduction to this mobility evaluation and the specific details for Branchville Station are placed on a separate page.

5. WEST REDDING, CT
RAILROAD STATION PLANNING OVERVIEW

5A. WEST REDDING, CT STATION PHYSICAL SETTING
The West Redding Railroad Station is located in Redding, CT just west of Route 53, near the Bethel and Danbury border.  It is 17.3 rail miles north of the main line at the South Norwalk Railroad Station and 4.6 miles north of the Branchville Station.  

This new station includes a high level platform with disabled access and shelter. There are waste receptacles and public telephones. However, no transit information of any kind is available at this facility. 

As for public bus service, Redding remains a semi-rural area, and there is no regularly scheduled bus other than the limited SweetHART service available throughout the Town.

This new  station opened in June of 1999 and is in excellent condition. There is some history here, for in 1992 a high level platform was constructed at the old West Redding Station near this small hamlet's retail buildings to improve passenger boarding and reduce station dwell times. However, the modern gleaming design was inappropriate for the scale and charm of the core of the small hamlet of West Redding. 

After negotiations between the Town of Redding and Conn DOT, it was agreed that the 1992 platform and canopy would be dismantled. It was replaced in 1999 by a new platform with a modest station building about 500 feet south of the previous location.

In 2000 Conn DOT estimated that the percentage of riders boarding at West Redding and bound for Stamford was 25%.

5B. WEST REDDING, CT STATION PARKING
The 2000 Travel Options Plan recorded 80 parking spaces, with observed parking utilization at 40 vehicles. Access to the 80-space lot is by permit or with a daily parking fee of $5 as of 7/2006. 

The 2000 Travel Options Plan projects that even without any additional train service, due to changing journey to work patterns, population growth and highway congestion, by 2015 the demand for parking spaces at West Redding Station will fill the lot to within just 5 spaces of its 80 space capacity. 

And further, if during that period train services increase from the present 20 stops per day to 31(the Phase 1 expansion) the parking demand here becomes a deficit situation with an additional 13 spaces needed. Adding the Phase 2 Branch Line expansion, 38 trains per day stopping, the parking demand deficit at West Redding Station rises further to 22.

5C. WEST REDDING, CT STATION DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
Although there is some directional signage, the location is not well marked and must be accessed by crossing an ungated, at-grade railroad crossing. Local views towards the provision of a station sign at the driveway entrance should be evaluated.

5D. NON-RAIL MOBILITY OPTIONS
TO WEST REDDING, CT STATION  
Both the introduction to this mobility evaluation and the specific details for West Redding Station are placed on a separate page. In summary, the non-rail analysis for this station is not strongly supportive of a scheduled fixed route shuttle service for rail passengers. 

Further, with a parking lot that is currently under capacity, there is little incentive to encourage shuttle usage until the parking supply is exceeded. The station car option might be an attractive one at Redding Station during the expansion phases and may even preclude or at least delay the need to expand the parking lot.  

As for the potential for reverse commute, major employment locations with good access to the West Redding station within a five mile radius include Lee Farm Corporate Park, Barden Corporation, B.F. Goodrich, and the Apple Ridge Road Office Park, all to the north via Route 7 in Danbury.  

6. BETHEL, CT
RAILROAD STATION PLANNING OVERVIEW

6A. BETHEL, CT STATION PHYSICAL SETTING
The recently completed Bethel Railroad Station is located just north of Downtown Bethel, CT on Durant Avenue, opposite Bishop Curtis Homes. Bethel's station is 20.6 rail miles north of the main line at the South Norwalk Railroad Station and 3.3 miles north of the West Redding Station. Metro North does not currently provide a web based Bethel Station Area Map to assist users.

Based upon a 1986 HVCEO station relocation study, a new Bethel Railroad Station was built on Durant Avenue and opened for service in January of 1996. This project was 100% State funded at an approximate cost of $4.3 million. The architectural detailing is the same as for Danbury Station. New facilities included a new station building and high level platform. The old station to the south on Greenwood Avenue was built near 1900 to replace an earlier passenger railroad station on the site dating from 1852.

The 1996 facility remains in excellent condition, and features pedestrian access, permit and metered parking, bicycle racks, a building with concession, restrooms, outdoor tables, a high-level platform with a lighted canopy, and benches and ramps for persons with disabilities. The concession provides Metro North and HART bus schedules. The station is served by the HART 5 Bethel Center Route.

A 1996 HVCEO report estimated commuter boardings by home town of riders from Danbury and Bethel stations combined. The totals were Bethel 128, Danbury 84, Newtown 48, Brookfield 18, New Milford 9, New Fairfield 5 and Bridgewater 4. Many of the Newtown residents use this station. In 2000 Conn DOT estimated that the percentage of riders boarding at Bethel and bound for Stamford was 23%.

6B. BETHEL, CT STATION PARKING
The 2000 Travel Options Plan recorded 199 parking spaces, with observed parking utilization at 105 vehicles. The current parking capacity was an increase of over 100% in comparison to the historic station on Route 302 - Greenwood Avenue to the south. The lot is signed and directional signage is in place.

The 2000 Travel Options Plan projects that even without any additional train service, due to changing journey to work patterns, population growth and highway congestion, by 2015 the demand for parking spaces at Bethel Station will be within 3 spaces of its capacity of 199, clearly over capacity on busier days. 

In addition, if during that period train service increases from the present 20 stops per day to 31(the Phase 1 expansion) the parking demand deficit figure rises to 29. Adding the Phase 2 Branch Line expansion pushes the parking demand deficit at Bethel Station up higher to 44.

6C. BETHEL, CT STATION DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
The station parking lot as designed was planned to be further expanded in the future to accommodate another 100 spaces. 

6D. NON-RAIL MOBILITY OPTIONS
TO BETHEL, CT STATION
 Both the introduction to this mobility evaluation and the specific details for Bethel Station are placed on a separate page. That analysis shows that a Bethel Station based subscription shuttle may be warranted on implementation of the Phase Two Danbury Branch Expansion. Projected parking deficits will support a shift from auto use to shuttle services. Such a program could help mitigate an anticipated parking deficit of 29 spaces.  

Station cars could be initiated during the Phase One Danbury Branch Expansion in anticipation of increased parking demands.

As for the potential for reverse commute, considering the less than ideal train schedule connections and existing direct HART bus service between most major employers in the vicinity and Bethel Station, reverse commute van shuttles from this location may not be successful.

7. DANBURY, CT
RAILROAD STATION PLANNING OVERVIEW

7A. DANBURY, CT STATION PHYSICAL SETTING
Danbury Railroad Station is accessible via Patriot Drive in Downtown Danbury, CT. It is opposite the NHL Skate at Danbury Ice Rink and the Patriot Parking Garage, a municipal facility. 

The Station is 23.6 rail miles north of the main line at the South Norwalk Railroad Station and is currently the end of the line in terms of passenger service. Metro North does not currently provide a web based Danbury Station Area Map to assist users.

As in Bethel, the Danbury Station was opened to the public in 1996 and is in excellent condition. It replaced the 1903 vintage Union Station just to the north, that attractive building now the headquarters of the Danbury Railway Museum. 

The Union Station had been built on an L-shaped plan to serve passengers on the two lines that met right at the station, this configuration part of the difficulty in expanding parking there, provoking the 1996 relocation.

The current railroad station site was obtained by Conn DOT in a land exchange with the Danbury Redevelopment Agency. It includes an 1,800 square-foot station building that cost $2.5 million, a high-level boarding platform for easy access to and from trains, new track and formal at-grade crossing protection with appropriate warning devices and other various improvements. 

The site features a covered platform staffed by a ticket agent. There are restrooms, newspaper vending machines, waste receptacles, bicycle racks (in use during a HART survey), lighting and public telephones. Timetables are available in the waiting area, although there was no special display area for them. 

There is pedestrian access to the Danbury Railroad Station, which is within walking distance from the Downtown Danbury's CityCenter Dining and Entertainment District.

The facility is also within walking distance of the HART Pulse Point. The HART 7 New Milford Bus passes within a quarter mile of the facility on White Street, and the HART 5 Bethel Center Bus can be accessed less than a half mile away on Main Street. The HART CityCenter Danbury Trolley serves the train station directly Thursday through Saturday. There is directional signage to the station, as well as a sign on I-84.

In 2000 Conn DOT estimated that the percentage of riders boarding at Danbury and bound for Stamford was 40%, the highest percentage of the seven stations on the Branch Line.

7B. DANBURY, CT STATION PARKING
The 2000 Travel Options Plan recorded 119 parking spaces, with observed parking utilization at 60 vehicles. The 119 spaces is far more than the inventory of parking places that existed before 1996 at the Union Station just to the north. Access to parking at the Danbury Station is by permit from the Danbury Parking Authority. There is also a 15 minute parking section.  

A 1996 HVCEO report estimated commuter boardings by home town of riders from Danbury and Bethel stations combined. The totals were Bethel 128, Danbury 84, Newtown 48, Brookfield 18, New Milford 9, New Fairfield 5 and Bridgewater 4.

The 2000 Travel Options Plan projects that even without any additional train service, due to changing commuting patterns, population growth and traffic by 2015 the demand for parking spaces at presently uncrowded Danbury Station will be within 7 spaces of capacity.

If during that period train services increase from the present 20 stops per day to 31(the Phase 1 expansion) the parking demand becomes a deficit of 6. Adding the Phase 2 Branch Line expansion then pushes the parking demand deficit at Danbury up to 24.

7C. DANBURY, CT STATION DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
It will eventually need to be determined if land is available for on site parking expansion. In terms of future parking needs, the relationship between the Danbury Station parking lot and the City's nearby Patriot Parking Garage will need to be defined.

The 2000 Travel Options plan suggested improvement of pedestrian access to the Station by providing better roadway crossings in the vicinity. Also, improved directional signage for vehicles and the offering of food service during peak commuting times.

7D. NON-RAIL MOBILITY OPTIONS
TO DANBURY, CT STATION
Analysis shows that a subscription shuttle/HART Pulse Point connecter may need to be implemented here beginning in the Phase One expansion of the Branch Line. 

A station car program might also work well just after the Phase One branch expansion, when parking at this station will become in short supply.  

As for the potential for reverse commute,  major employment locations within a short distance of the Danbury Railroad Station are located within Commerce Park. Both the introduction to this mobility evaluation and the specific details for Danbury Station are placed on a separate page.

 
8. PROPOSED DANBURY NORTH, CT
RAILROAD STATION PLANNING OVERVIEW

8A. PROPOSED DANBURY NORTH, CT
STATION PHYSICAL SETTING
This proposed stop is 27.0 miles north of the South Norwalk Station and 3.4 miles north of the Downtown Danbury Station, in Danbury on the Berkshire Line just south of the Brookfield Town Line. 

The site is state owned and in use as a Conn DOT commuter parking lot. This ownership is fortunate, as there is no pressure to develop the land for private purposes. The site fronts upon four lane White Turkey Road Extension, also known as State Route 840.

Some years ago the establishment of a Brewster North Station near I-84 on the Harlem Line in nearby New York State was hugely successful in complementing the existing in-town Brewster Station. A main goal of the proposed Danbury North Station is to duplicate that experience in Connecticut. The two stations within the City of Danbury will serve different and complementary travel markets.

The station site has superb access for passenger vehicles seeking it out, as it is within I-84's Exit 7 and Route 7 Expressway interchange area. Importantly, the 2002 City of Danbury Plan of Conservation and Development endorses the development of the Danbury North Station.

Current bus service to the proposed Danbury North Station location is limited to the Brewster Shuttle operating from the current state commuter parking lot. This service, if continued at the Danbury North Station site as it is converted from a park and ride lot to a rail station lot, would allow for some connectivity between the Harlem and Danbury Branch Lines. But this same service is judged by HART to have limited utility as a shuttle service to patrons of the Branch Line.

8B. PROPOSED DANBURY NORTH, CT STATION PARKING
This station would feature a 250 space parking lot, developed by an expansion of the current Conn DOT commuter park and ride lot here. Vans and buses would be accommodated. However, space is limited here and demand analysis in the 2000 Travel Options Plan shows that all the parking spaces that could be easily developed would be almost completely utilized early on.

An additional 183 spaces would eventually be required to meet the needs of the full five phases of Branch Line service expansion. These spaces would be added as a deck structure over the surface parking lot, as the site is bounded by wetlands to the north and the Berkshire Corporate Park access road to the south. 

8C. PROPOSED DANBURY NORTH, CT
STATION DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
The infrastructure required for the new Danbury North Station will include an 1800 square foot station building. This site for the station is one hundred feet across four lane White Turkey Road Extension from the platform location, the platform immediately adjacent to the Berkshire Line tracks owned by the Housatonic Railroad Company. 

As well as being on opposite sides of a state highway from each other, the elevation of the Berkshire Line and accompanying 500 foot long platform on the east side is 15 feet higher than the proposed Danbury North Station and its adjacent parking lot on the west side. Thus a 100 foot, enclosed and climate controlled pedestrian overpass will need to be constructed to give access to the platform. A stair case in the station would lead to the overpass, with an elevator option included to meet ADA requirements.

As a future project phase, a second elevator and stairway at the south end of the train platform could connect up to the roadway overpass leading to the Berkshire Corporate Park, another significant grade change. This would provide pedestrian access to this expanding employment center. 

The cost estimate to complete this station in a 1995 preliminary feasibility study was $3.2 million. Other required costs including equipment, track and right of way yield an estimated total cost of $9.1 to $9.9 million to complete the service extension. While the Branch Line from Norwalk to Danbury is State owned, the Berkshire Line here is privately owned, thus the need for permission from the Housatonic Railroad Company if this station is to become a reality.

8D. NON-RAIL MOBILITY OPTIONS TO
PROPOSED DANBURY NORTH, CT STATION
Both the introduction to this mobility evaluation and the specific details for Danbury North Station are placed on a separate page. As for a summary of those findings, the analysis suggests that ridership will not be sufficient to warrant a feeder shuttle into the Danbury North Station. However, given easy access from I-84, this station may attract more Newtown and Southbury-based passengers than anticipated. A shuttle from park and ride lots at Exits 10 and 11 of I-84 to this station may be warranted if a sufficient ridership base develops. 

A station car program should be planned in the design phase of this station to better use available space. This is especially important at this location as it is somewhat constrained. A van/shuttle to Berkshire Corporate Park would be ideal for this location, as it directly abuts the proposed rail station property. 

 
9. PROPOSED BROOKFIELD, CT
RAILROAD STATION PLANNING OVERVIEW

9A. PROPOSED BROOKFIELD, CT
STATION PHYSICAL SETTING
Located 31.2 miles north of the South Norwalk Station and 4.2 miles north of the proposed Danbury North Station is the historic Brookfield, CT Railroad Station building, on Route 25 just east of the intersection of Route 25 and Route 7. This is just a short distance from the HART 7 New Milford and New Milford LOOP Routes. The former station building is owned by the nearby Brookfield Crafts Center.

9B. PROPOSED BROOKFIELD, CT STATION PARKING
Parking potential at this location appears minimal. There has been some discussion about parking to the east of the track accessible via a pedestrian walkway down to the station, the reverse of the Danbury North situation. Demand projections indicate that 118 spaces would be utilized here in the Phase Three New Milford extension and 138 spaces in the Phase Five plan. 

9C. PROPOSED BROOKFIELD, CT STATION DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
In 2004 this historic building was purchased by the adjacent Brookfield Craft Center as its woodturning workshop. Given space limitations here and the private ownership of the building, the feasibility of rail station development is not clear. But as the severity of Fairfield County's transportation crisis deepens, and the need for rail service intensifies, an access point here cannot be ruled out.

The recently updated Brookfield town plan took a supportive position. Referring to the proposed Danbury to New Milford passenger rail extension, the 2001 Brookfield Plan of Conservation and Development states: '"While this service will go through Brookfield, it is not initially scheduled to stop in Brookfield. Brookfield should support the establishment of this rail service and seek a rail station in Brookfield. A location in or near the Four Corners is the most logical location although finding an appropriate site may require additional study."

9D. NON-RAIL MOBILITY OPTIONS TO
PROPOSED BROOKFIELD, CT STATION
Analysis shows that shuttle services may not be warranted to this station. Station cars could be implemented at this station as part of the initial construction phase as a transit demand management measure and to enhance parking capacity.  

As for the potential for reverse commute, a HART analysis found that the possibilities are limited. Both the introduction to this mobility evaluation and the specific details for Brookfield Station are placed on a separate page.

10. PROPOSED NEW MILFORD, CT
RAILROAD STATION PLANNING OVERVIEW

10A. PROPOSED NEW MILFORD, CT STATION PHYSICAL SETTING
Located in downtown New Milford 37.9 miles north of the South Norwalk Station and 6.7 miles north of the  Downtown Danbury Station is the existing New Milford, CT Railroad Station. It is near the intersection of Route 202 and Railroad Street. Two tracks exist through the station area. As part of HVCEO and SWRPA transportation plans this station would become the new end of the Branch Line, rather than Danbury Station 14.3 miles to the south.
 
10B. PROPOSED NEW MILFORD, CT STATION PARKING
A 1996 HVCEO rail report envisioned that the existing parking lot of 230 spaces would be rehabilitated and expanded slightly to accommodate 250 parking spaces, the additional 30 spaces and some current spaces to service rail users. 

It was presumed in 1996 that additional spaces could be created by expanding the parking lot to the west. An issue here is use of the current parking lot for access to nearby merchants and services, and the extent to which all day rail station parkers would tighten the supply for these current parking lot users. 

10C. PROPOSED NEW MILFORD, CT
STATION DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
To provide for this new commuter rail service, a new high-level platform would be located adjacent to the tracks opposite the existing station. This would be on the western side of the tracks, with the station across to the east. A high-level platform on the eastern or station side would alter the character of the historic train station and introduce complications in the station and platform design. The current station is an attractive asset to Downtown, as shown in this Greater New Milford Chamber of Commerce photo.

Rail industry design standards call for a 500 foot long, high level platform. However, it may be possible to provide a shorter, 100 foot platform so as to minimize the affect on the character of the existing station. A preliminary cost estimate to improve the station and parking area was $1.8 million in 1996.

10D. NON-RAIL MOBILITY OPTIONS TO
PROPOSED NEW MILFORD, CT STATION
Both the introduction to this mobility evaluation and the specific details for New Milford Station are placed on a separate page. But in summary, projected access via a shuttle does not appear high enough to implement such a service. There is, however, HART service in place now that would allow for passengers to access the station by bus. Station cars  offer an opportunity for parking enhancement. 

As for the potential for reverse commute, The projected 7:00 A.M. train arrival and afternoon departure at 4:55 P.M. in New Milford provide the best timing for workers traveling to Kimberly Clarke from points south.