Kent Road station
Kent Road | |||||||||||
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General information | |||||||||||
Location | 11 Kent Road, Wilton, Connecticut | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 41°09′49″N 73°25′13″W / 41.163564°N 73.420262°W | ||||||||||
Line(s) | Danbury Branch | ||||||||||
Platforms | 1 low level side platform | ||||||||||
Tracks | 1 | ||||||||||
History | |||||||||||
Opened | 1852, January 12, 1976 | ||||||||||
Closed | ca. 1971, January 16, 1994 | ||||||||||
Previous names | Kent (1852–1886) South Wilton (1886–1971) Hopkins (1933) | ||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||
1994 | 15 | ||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||
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The Kent Road station was a commuter rail stop on the Danbury Branch of the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line. It was located near the border between Wilton and Norwalk, south of a grade crossing with Kent Road in Wilton, Connecticut. Prior to the Kent Road station, another station named South Wilton existed in the same location. Both stations have since closed down.
History
Original station
The original station located at the site was located on the north side of Kent Road and was originally called Kent.[1] Kent was opened in 1852 by the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad. The name of the station was changed to South Wilton when the railroad was leased by the Housatonic Railroad in 1886, possibly to distinguish it from the HRR's already existing station in the town of Kent. The station served the nearby Kensett Sanitarium,[2] Which burned down in 1912.[3] The station was also known as Hopkins. Which is possibly a reference to Fred Hopkins, who was the station agent at the Wilton station for many years.[4]
The station was closed and demolished prior to 1971.[5]
Replacement station
The station was replaced on January 12, 1976, when a new station called Kent Road was opened on the south side of Kent Road by Penn Central to serve Perkin-Elmer's headquarters in Wilton.[6][7] However, ridership at the station gradually decreased over time and by 1985, the station served just a dozen daily riders.[8] Metro-North discontinued service at Kent Road on January 16, 1994.[9] ConnDOT director of rail operations Dick Rathburn cited the station's lack of parking, poor geographic location, dwindling ridership, and potential obsoleteness with the newly renovated Merritt 7 station located just 1 mile south. Rathburn even claimed that the station "Was only put up as a temporary measure to provide transportation for Perkin-Elmer employees."[10] Kent Road station consisted of a low-level side platform and a small shelter, which are no longer extant.[9]
References
- ^ Harvey, Smith (1858). ABC Pathfinder Railway Guide. New England Railway Publishing Company. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ Report. South Wilton, Connecticut: Connecticut Public Welfare Council. 1905. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ Ritchie, Adele (January 29, 1912). "PATIENTS FLEE TO WOODS AS FLAMES LEVEL SANITARIUM". The New York Herald. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ Bepler, Virgina and Laurie (November 1997). Wilton,Connecticut in the Golden Age of postcards. Wilton,Connecticut: Arcadia Pub. p. 17. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
- ^ "Stations: SO". Tyler City Station. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
- ^ "Stations: HE–K". Tyler City Station. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
- ^ "P-E Commuters to Get Train Service in Wilton". The Bridgeport Post. January 4, 1976. p. 93.
- ^ Charles, Eleanor. "Rail Station for Corporate Park". New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ a b "Trains Will End Stops at Kent Road Sunday". The Wilton Bulletin. Wilton, Connecticut. January 12, 1994. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ Viccora, Andrew Q (September 29, 1993). "Kent Station will close". Hersam Acorn Newspapers. The Wilton Bulletin. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
External links
- Metro-North Railroad stations in Connecticut
- Buildings and structures in Wilton, Connecticut
- Stations along New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad lines
- Railway stations in the United States opened in 1852
- Railway stations closed in 1971
- Railway stations in the United States opened in 1976
- Railway stations closed in 1994
- Railroad stations in Fairfield County, Connecticut
- 1852 establishments in Connecticut
- 1971 disestablishments in Connecticut
- 1976 establishments in Connecticut
- 1994 disestablishments in Connecticut
- Former railway stations in Connecticut
- Former Penn Central Transportation stations