Alrighty, the last of the four Greenwich Metro-North stations, and this one is in Greenwich’s town center! So, let’s see how decent this is. Here we go!
Alrighty, so getting off the train after Port Chester, and we’re in a modern-ish station. It does feel vintage, though, and rightfully so as this was built during the Penn Central era. As a plus, unlike the other three Greenwich-area stations, it’s accessible! Yes, elevators exist for crossovers!
Yeah, I don’t think exposed wires are supposed to be where the fire alarm goes. That’s safe! I didn’t give the elevators the piss test, but it’d probably pass due to the rich NIMBY nature of the town.
Crossing to the other side, there’s a waiting room, fare vending machines (which, iirc, exist on BOTH sides! Woah!), along with shelters (also on the other side). Now, what’s in the waiting room? Well, there’s benches, a shuttered ticket office, and BATHROOMS ON THE LOWER LEVEL?! WOAH! Okay, save for the shuttered ticket office that closed in 2016 (and apparently the ticket guy was well-beloved locally), this is pretty much perfect. And, outside on Railroad Avenue, connections can be made to both CTtransit’s 311 and Norwalk WHEELS’ Greenwich Commuter Loop shuttle. It was here that I decided to get lunch at Planet Pizza. Would I recommend? Yes!
The good: It’s got an indoor waiting area that’s open during service hours! YAY! And it’s accessible!!! Furthermore, it’s right in downtown Greenwich, with nearby Greenwich Ave. being the main hub of the city. WOOHOO! Also, there’s a commuter loop and CTtransit! Departure boards, too!
The bad: The ticket office is closed! And, it’s been that way for 6 years! And to be honest, it makes the station feel a little devoid of life. Heck, per the article I linked above, from what I can tell even the locals liked the ticketing agent. I get it’d cost money, and probably more money than what Metro-North or ConnDOT are willing to spend, but it’d be nice for a station agent to be present and to have the station buildings be open. Even if it’s not for ticket sales, just to have someone there to assist passengers in general.
Nearby points of interest: Greenwich Avenue is a big one. Apparently there’s an Apple Store out here! There’s also a park nearby as well.
Transit connections: Metro-North (New Haven)
CTtransit (311)
Norwalk WHEELS (Greenwich Commuter Loop)
Overall, I really like this station. Objectively, it’s up there for being among the best Metro-North stations. And, while I’m not a big fan of the moves ConnDOT did to nerf the station, nor am I big on the architecture, it’s largely not a bad station. As such, I think it’s worthy of a high score, albeit not a 10. Oh yeah, bathrooms.
Rating: 8/10
