Tracks 4 Station code BRP (Amtrak) Rebuilt 1975 | Disabled access Yes Opened 1840 Platforms in use 2 | |
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Location 525 Water Street,
Bridgeport, CT 06604
United States Line(s) Northeast Corridor (ConnDOT) Connections Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, 17, 19X, 22X, 23, Coastal Link
Greyhound
Peter Pan
Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry Address Bridgeport, CT 06604, United States Similar South Norwalk, New Rochelle station, Stamford Transportation Center, Fairfield Metro, Union Station | ||
Bridgeport is a shared Metro-North Railroad, Shore Line East, and Amtrak train station along the Northeast Corridor that serves Bridgeport, Connecticut and nearby towns. On the Metro-North, the station is the transfer point between the Waterbury Branch and the New Haven mainline. Besides Metro-North service, Amtrak's Northeast Regional and Vermonter stop at the station, as do Shore Line East trains. In addition the transfer point for Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority buses, the departure point for the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry across Long Island Sound to Port Jefferson, New York, and both the Arena at Harbor Yard and the Ballpark at Harbor Yard are located adjacent to the station.
Contents
It is 55.4 miles (89.2 km) from Grand Central Terminal and the average travel time is one hour, 21 minutes.
Opened in 1975, the current station was designed by the local architectural firm of Antinozzi Associates. Unusually, the station spans the six lanes of Water Street, with the passenger waiting room located over the roadway. The simple concrete facades are scored with vertical lines or channels to create a textured surface. Throughout the day, as the sun rakes across the walls, the channels—of varying depth and width—produce a range of ever-changing shadows. Boxy in appearance and punctuated by rectangular windows, the station’s angularity is softened by the rounded edges of the access towers.
Platform and track configuration
This station has two high-level side platforms, each eight cars long. The western platform, adjacent to Track 3, is generally used by westbound Metro-North trains or southbound Amtrak trains. The eastern platform, adjacent to Track 4, is generally used by eastbound Metro-North trains or northbound Amtrak trains. Waterbury Branch trains use either platform.
The New Haven Line has four tracks at this location. The two inner tracks, not adjacent to either platform, are used only by express trains.
History
The current station in Bridgeport was fully completed under ConnDOT and Penn Central in 1975. It replaced a large, ornate structure built in 1905, located to the north of the current station at 41.181206°N 73.187535°W / 41.181206; -73.187535. The relocation was occasioned by the introduction of "Cosmopolitan" M-2 railcars which could only board at high-level platforms, the installation of which was impractical at the old station due to the curvature of the platforms. The older station was razed in the 1980s.
A branch line, originally built by New Haven Railroad predecessor Housatonic Railroad to Trumbull, Monroe and Newtown, used to join the main tracks at the old Bridgeport station (see tracks at far left on pictures below). All evidence of this junction is now gone, but the related bridges of this line existed near Bridgeport station until the 1990s. Evidence of this line is still visible further north, including a rail bridge crossing the Merritt Parkway near the Route 25 exits, and a rail trail that extends from Trumbull to the Newtown - Monroe town line.
Bridgeport Station was also close to the scene of three of Connecticut's worst train accidents. The first occurred on July 11, 1911 about a mile south of the station, near where Fairfield Avenue (CT 130) passes underneath and I-95 currently passes overhead. Fourteen people were killed and 40 injured; excessive speed through a crossover was the cause. The second occurred on July 14, 1955 due to excessive speed on a sharp curve approaching the station; one person was killed and 58 were injured. Both accidents involved the same train, the northbound Federal Express overnight train from Washington, D.C. to Boston. The third wreck, involving the derailment and sideswiping collision of two Metro-North trains, occurred on May 17, 2013, at the same location as the 1911 wreck, injuring 60 passengers on both trains. A track defect was suspected pending completion of an investigation.
Ridership
As of August 2006, average weekday commuter ridership was 3,120 passengers. Bridgeport is the busiest Metro-North station between Stamford and New Haven's Union Station. The station has 1,453 parking spaces, 950 owned by the state.