East Norwalk train station to close for three weeks

NORWALK, Conn. — The East Norwalk train station will close for three weeks starting Saturday, Sept. 26 due to construction work.

The station is scheduled to reopen Monday, Oct. 19.

In the meantime, commuters can ride free from the station to the South Norwalk station starting Monday, Sept. 28 via the #5 bus. Click here for more information.

Permit parkers can park at the South Norwalk station, according to an announcement from the city.

The New Haven-bound parking lot will remain open during the station closure. Overflow lots are also located at 10 Rowan St. and 182 East Ave. The city advised residents to check the Norwalk Transit District website for route and schedule information.

East Norwalk permit holders can also park on Madison Street during the closure and walk to the South Norwalk station about a quarter mile away.

Questions can be directed to the Park Norwalk office at 11 N. Water St. or by calling 203-831-9063.

On Tuesday afternoon, a handful of workers were cutting pavement in the lot on the New Haven-bound side of the tracks for utility work as others worked on the tracks and platforms, which will be extended to accommodate six cars instead of four and see new canopies installed as well.

Other station upgrades included in materials advertising the project include ADA accommodations, commuter parking lot improvements, and a dedicated “kiss and ride” drop-off lane.

The three-week closure comes two years into a four-year project to bring upgrades to the station as part of the state Department of Transportation’s Track Improvement Mobility Enhancement (TIME) for CT program, described as a subcomponent of the nearby Walk Bridge replacement project, due to be completed by 2030.

The TIME for CT program aims to cut about 25 minutes off the trip between New Haven and New York by 2035.

While the benefits of infrastructure improvements speak for themselves, the widespread work in the area and attendant inconveniences have prompted some construction fatigue, according to Diane Cece, a leader of the East Norwalk Neighborhood Association.

“Of course we understand the requirements of the Walk Bridge project team to schedule major portions when they deem best, but there is a huge burden on commuters and others who rely on our station from the first trains out to the last in,” Cece said Tuesday. “To ask our residents again to use SoNo station but not provide shuttles is ridiculous. Train users have been inconvenienced enough for a project that will provide very little benefit to East Norwalk.”

Editor’s note: After publication, Norwalk Transit District reached out to clarify that although no special shuttle is running this time, the #5 bus route is being expanded during the closure to serve a similar purpose. Frequency on the #5 will double during peak hours, and the route will start earlier and end later each day, specifically to help commuters transfer between the South Norwalk and East Norwalk stations.