Wall Street station in Norwalk Proposal

[Backshophoss]

Streaching "new" wire to Meritt 7 would require a new substation to be built, a Control Point at Dock yard and at Merritt 7(a hold signal,
north of the platform) and an expensive redo of the signal system from Walk to Merritt 7 to work with the Catenary.
Adding a "new" station at Wall St would work with a single pair shuttle Sono to Merritt 7 service maybe......
That's one heck of a dream...

[DutchRailnut]

7 miles of electrification at 7 million per mile for what 25 to 50 passengers ?? no Bueno.

[Ridgefielder]

It's pretty pointless.. Hell I think having two stations in Norwalk is almost pointless as well..

Norwalk actually has 4 stations- Rowayton, South Norwalk, East Norwalk on the main line + Merritt 7 on the Danbury branch. They're all pretty busy so far as I know.

[Jeff Smith]

The "Study It" state: TheHour.com

Brief, fair-use:

Perone requests $250K to study feasibility of Wall Street train station

NORWALK — State Rep. Christopher R. Perone announced Friday that he will request as part of the state’s upcoming biennial budget $250,000 to explore the feasibility of adding a train station to the Wall Street neighborhood of Norwalk.
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State Rep. Bruce V. Morris, D-Norwalk, said many people have expressed interest in bringing back a train station to Wall Street. The funding, if approved, will provide the necessary financial support to explore the concept, he said. Mayor Harry W. Rilling cited apartment construction along Wall Street and West Avenue as reasons for bringing a train station back.
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Residents and elected officials alike have called for the Connecticut Department of Transportation to add a Wall Street-area station to Metro-North Railroad’s Danbury Line as part of the state’s upcoming replacement of the Walk Bridge over the Norwalk River.
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Four at least four decades, 47 Wall St. was home to the Wall Street station of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. Commuters living or working in the Wall Street area boarded trains for New York City, Danbury or simply South Norwalk. It is now Inkside Out, a tattoo parlor.

The train station first appears in the 1896/1897 Norwalk Directory published by the Price & Lee Co. The station is at 47 Wall St. and identified as “NYNH & HRR station.” After 1936 — long before a flood devastated the Wall Street area in 1955 — the station disappears from the annual city directory.

[DutchRailnut]

going to be fun when train stops and commerce street, cross street, catharine street all have gates down , specially in rush hour.

[deathtopumpkins]

A train could make this station stop without blocking any of those crossings. There are plenty of other commuter railroads with crossings adjacent to stations that manage to coexist.

Take Ipswich on the MBTA commuter rail for example - the gates come down at the adjacent crossing when a northbound train pulls in, then come back up once it stops. After completing the station stop, the engineer either pushes a button mounted on a pole or radios a specific code, and the gates come back down, then the train proceeds. Simple, and never ties the crossing up unnecessarily long. There's a signal located between the station and the crossing, which displays red until the gates come back down.

NJT does something similar at some stations on the NJCL.

This is a problem that has long since been solved.

[Noel Weaver]

I could see Commerce Street being a problem but even in this case it could be avoided. I can't see the potential use justifying the expense of restoring a station at this location and parking would also be a big issue as well. I think the money could be better spent increasing the parking at South Norwalk probably by buillding a parking garage of high capacity. The next crossing north I think is Cross Street and that is north of the tunnel and a trestle over the Norwalk River as well, no problem with this one. Catherine Street is further north IF I remember correctly. I was quaalified on this branch way back when.
Noel Weaver

[TCurtin]

All this talk of added stops is utterly ridicuous. It amounts to converting the Danbury line to something resembling an old time interurban line!!!

[Noel Weaver]

I agree, guess the politicians are bored and want to stir something up. RIDICULOUS to pit it midly.
Noel Weaver

[Jeff Smith]

It's alive...... and "of some sort?" For your reading pleasure: TheHour.com

DOT considering Wall Street train stop in Norwalk
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“We met with the Wall Street Neighborhood Association and discussed the possibility of establishing a station at that location,” wrote John Bernick, of the DOT’s Bureau of Engineering and Construction, in an email Thursday. “The Association described the possibility of a public-private partnership and committed to provide additional details for discussion. CTDOT will be providing background information on the specifications for a station for their use.”

The State Bond Commission, Bernick continued, has approved $275,000 to commission a study of a Wall Street Station Stop. The DOT will coordinate further with all stakeholders as that study is initiated, he added.
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He has asked the officials to consider allowing construction of a sidewalk and installation of lighting in the Mechanic Street lot, alongside Metro-North’s Danbury Line tracks, to allow the embarking and disembarking of passengers. The association maintains the “train stop” could be built with private funding at minimal costs.
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During a transportation forum at Norwalk City Hall in March, McGuire asked DOT Commissioner Jim Redeker about the prospects of bringing train service back to Wall Street. Redeker said a Wall Street train station would not be eligible for federal funding as part of the Walk Bridge replacement, adding that state dollars are lacking.
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DOT officials also pointed out that Norwalk already has four train stations: South Norwalk, East Norwalk, Rowayton and the Merritt 7 office complex. A stop in the Wall Street area would be a fifth station.
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