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Among the many advantages that Darien offers residents is its convenient proximinity to NYC.  It’s just a 50 minute train ride to Grand Central Station, the trains are clean and the people riding them - for the most part- are civilized.  Having been both a regular commuter from Darien into the City (there are numerous cities in the immediate vicinity of Darien, but when we refer to “the city” we mean Manhattan), as well as someone who lived in the City and commuted back to Darien on weekends, I think I’m uniquely qualified to offer some helpful facts about and insights into training-it into New York.

VITAL STATS

• Darien is on the New Haven Line
• There are 2 train stations in Darien, both on the New Haven Line 

•  
  1. Darien Train Station
  2. Noroton Heights Train Station
• Trains run “Express” and “Local.” 
  1. Express trains into the city from Darien will stop at Noroton Heights and Stamford Stations, and then go straight into NYC, skipping other stops along the route.  Express trains sometimes stop at 125th Street Station, which is the station just before Grand Central Terminal, but either way it’s a much faster trip on an Express train, usually about 50 minutes.
  2. Local trains from Darien will stop at every station along the line between Darien and Grand Central Terminal, and the trip from Darien into the city on a Local train is about 1 and 1/2 hrs.

  (morning peak hour departure schedule from Darien Train stattion)

• Tickets are priced according to “Peak” and “Off-Peak” hours, and these fares only apply to trains going into the city in the morning and coming out of the city in the evenings (and all the stops in-between)
  1. Peak Hours: weekdays only — going into the city: 5am to 10am, coming out of the city: 4pm to 8pm
  2. Around $3 more per ticket
  3. Off-Peak: all other times
• There is an additional charge for purchasing your tickets on board the train so definitely try to buy them at the station. 
• The Darien station has a manned ticket office that is open weekdays only from 6:10am to 1:30pm (closed briefly between 11 and 11:20am).  The Noroton Heights station does not have a manned ticket office but is open from 5am - 5pm.
• Both stations have outdoor ticket kiosks that accept cash or credit cards; the Darien station also has an ATM machine right on the platform.
• Both stations have covered areas on the platform where you can stand during inclement weather, and while the ticket offices have limited operating hours, the station waiting room is usually open and has a restroom and vending machines.

Soooo that about does it for basic info about training-it in Darien … I realize that I focused heavily on trains into and out of NYC.  You can also train-it to some delightful locations going towards New Haven, including Rowayton, South Norwalk, Westport, Southport… but the focus of this site is on Darien, and so many of us are commuters that we’re just NYC-oriented.

My next post will share some insider insights and tips about the train.  If there’s anything I left out of this post or you think is worht mentioning, please post a comment or send me an email!