Southport station (Metro-North) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Southport
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Westbound station building, 2016
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| Location | 96 Station Street (eastbound) 100 Center Street (westbound), Southport, Connecticut |
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| Coordinates | 41°08′09″N 73°17′20″W / 41.13589°N 73.28898°W | ||||||||||||
| Owned by | Connecticut DOT; leased to Town of Fairfield | ||||||||||||
| Line(s) | Northeast Corridor | ||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||||
| Tracks | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Connections |  Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority: Coastal Link |
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| Construction | |||||||||||||
| Parking | 179 spaces | ||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||
| Fare zone | 18 | ||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||
| Opened | December 25, 1848 | ||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1884, January 2008–February 2009 | ||||||||||||
| Traffic | |||||||||||||
| Passengers (2018) | 358 | ||||||||||||
| Rank | 87 of 124 | ||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||
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Southport Railroad Stations
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| Built | 1884 | ||||||||||||
| Architectural style | Stick/Eastlake | ||||||||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 89000927 | ||||||||||||
| Added to NRHP | July 28, 1989 | ||||||||||||
The Southport station is a train station in Southport, Connecticut. It is part of the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line. This station is one of three train stops in the town of Fairfield. The other two are Fairfield and Fairfield Metro.
The station has two platforms, one for trains going each way. These platforms are long enough for four train cars. There are 179 parking spots available for people using the station. In 2018, about 358 people used this station each day. This made it the 87th busiest out of 124 stations on the line.
History of Southport Station
The Southport train station first opened in 1848. The buildings you see there today were built later, in 1884. They were built by the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad company.
Station Buildings and Design
The station has two main buildings. The building for trains heading west is made of wood. It is built in a style called "saltbox." The building for trains heading east is made of brick. This brick building is no longer used by the railroad. Instead, it now holds a restaurant.
In 1972, the station stopped having a person called a "station agent" to help passengers. In 1989, both station buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical places. They are officially known as the Southport Railroad Stations.
Fire and Rebuilding Efforts
On January 4, 2008, the westbound station building caught fire. This building was special because it was one of the few original station houses left on the New Haven Line. Before the fire, it had an art gallery and a waiting area for passengers. Luckily, most of the artwork was saved.
Most of the damage to the building came from the water used to put out the fire. At first, people thought the building would need to be completely replaced. But after looking at the damage closely, they decided it could be fixed. The repairs cost about $3 million. While the building was being fixed, a temporary waiting room was set up for passengers. The repairs were finished by early 2009. The station was officially reopened by Governor Jodi Rell in February 2009.
