Green's Farms (Metro-North station)
Green's Farms | |||||||||||
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The Green's Farms tiny station house | |||||||||||
Location |
2 Post Office Lane, Westport, CT 06880 | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 41°07′24″N 73°18′55″W / 41.123316°N 73.315415°WCoordinates: 41°07′24″N 73°18′55″W / 41.123316°N 73.315415°W | ||||||||||
Line(s) | |||||||||||
Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||
Tracks | 4 | ||||||||||
Connections | Norwalk Transit District: G1, G2, Nyla Farms Shuttle | ||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||
Parking | 466 spaces | ||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | Yes; Bike racks | ||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||
Fare zone | 18 | ||||||||||
Electrified | 12,500V (AC) overhead catenary | ||||||||||
Traffic | |||||||||||
Passengers (2006) | 150,540 0% | ||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||
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Green's Farms Metro-North Railroad station is one of two New Haven Line stations serving the residents of Westport, Connecticut. The station is located in the Green's Farms area of Westport in the southeastern part of town.
Green's Farms is 47.2 miles (76.0 km) from Grand Central Terminal and the average travel time from Grand Central is one hour, 11 minutes though this varies depending on run and time of day.
The station has 466 parking spaces, all owned by the state.[1] Interstate 95 borders the parking lots to the north of the station on either side of New Creek Road.
Like other station houses on the New Haven Line, the one at Green's Farms is on the north side of the tracks, just east of New Creek Road, which runs beneath a railroad bridge. Access to the south side of the tracks is down a wooden staircase, under the railroad bridge at New Creek Road, and up another wooden staircase. Part of the platform near the station house is covered, and on the east end of the north platform another, rusty metal canopy covers a small area. A ticket machine is on the north platform near the station house. Bicycle stands are located to the east of the station house. On the south side of the tracks, a standard see-through shelter seats eight.
Platform and track configuration
3 | ■ New Haven Line | for Grand Central |
1 | ■ New Haven Line | no stop |
■ Northeast Corridor | no stop | |
2 | ■ New Haven Line | no stop |
■ Northeast Corridor | no stop | |
4 | ■ New Haven Line | for New Haven – State Street |
This station has two high-level side platforms, each six cars long. The northern platform, adjacent to Track 3, is generally used by westbound trains. The southern platform, adjacent to Track 4, is generally used by eastbound trains.
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.
Within Walking Distance
The Green's Farms Post Office is northeast of the station, on Post Office Lane, about 200 feet from the station.
Within walking distance of the station is Burying Hill Beach, with expansive view of Long Island Sound. Greens Farms Academy, a private school, is about a 10-minute walk from the station, south, just past the salt marsh.
Past the school, Beachside Avenue provides a pleasant walk by many large estates (some of the most expensive residential property in Westport). Marlo Thomas, Phil Donohue, Don Imus, and Harvey Weinstein have lived in the area. The avenue has no sidewalks, but there is not heavy traffic. A giant Claes Oldenburg artwork — a typewriter eraser — stands approximately eight feet high on the lawn of one estate on the south side of the avenue.
About 1.6 miles (2.6 km) from the railroad station, Beachside Avenue crosses turns into Pequot Road alongside Southport Beach in the Southport section of Fairfield, Connecticut. Another mile up Pequot Road, is the next station up the line, the Southport Railroad Station.
About 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in the opposite direction from the station (north and west), is the Nyala Farms Corporate Center office complex, the headquarters of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world's largest hedge funds. The office buildings are barely visible from the road and a guardhouse blocks the entrance. Just past that office complex is Exit 18 of Interstate 95 and the entrance to Sherwood Island State Park. The east edge of the park actually extends quite close to the station, but public access to it is roundabout except at low tide.
See also
- Connecticut Rail Commuter Council is the official state advocate for train commuters and brings station problems to the attention of officials.
References
- ↑ "Table 1: New Haven Line Parking Capacity and Utilization". Task 2: Technical Memorandum parking Inventory and Utilization: Final Report (PDF). Urbitran Associates Inc. to the Connecticut Department of Transportation. July 2003. p. 6.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Green's Farms (Metro-North station). |
- Metro-North Railroad - Green's Farms
- List of upcoming train departure times and track assignments from MTA
- Visual Inspection Report for the station (January 2007), from the state Department of Transportation
- Bureau of Public Transportation of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, "Condition Inspection for the Westport Station" report dated October 2006
- Station from I-95 from Google Maps Street View