Branford (Shore Line East station)

Branford
Branford station in December 2015, with the second platform and pedestrian bridge near completion
Location	39 Maple Street Branford, Connecticut
Coordinates	41°16′29″N 72°49′02″W / 41.2746°N 72.8173°W / 41.2746; -72.8173Coordinates: 41°16′29″N 72°49′02″W / 41.2746°N 72.8173°W / 41.2746; -72.8173
Owned by	CDOT
Line(s)	Shore Line East
Platforms	2 side platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
History
Rebuilt	August 8, 2005 2016
Electrified	25,000V (AC) overhead catenary
Services
Preceding station   ConnDOT   Following station New Haven State Street toward Stamford Shore Line East Guilford toward New London

Branford is a station along the Shore Line East commuter railroad between Stamford and New London, Connecticut. Branford is also a station on the northern section Northeast Corridor. Amtrak does not stop at this station but Amtrak trains pass through it.

Prior to the establishment of the Shore Line East system, Branford was a stop for Amtrak's Beacon Hill trains. The current station, with an ADA-compliant high-level side platform, opened on August 8, 2005, replacing a nearby earlier station with low-level platforms.

Ridership increases rendered the 199-spot parking lot at Branford insufficient. As a result, a 272-spot expansion was opened in June 2011, bringing total available parking at the station to 471 spots.

A second platform on the north side of the tracks was originally to be constructed beginning in November 2012. Construction on the $16.5M project - which includes the new platform, a pedestrian overpass with elevators, a drop-off lot on the north side of the tracks, and restoration of an existing parking lot - began in September 2013. Major construction took place in 2014 with the intention to open the new platform by August 2015. However, delays were suffered from Amtrak taking 70 days to allow ConnDOT crews to enter the property, and for 300 days for the redesign of retaining walls and the completion of maintenance closets. By September 2015, the new platform and pedestrian bridge were scheduled to open on December 18, 2015, but this was delayed into 2016 due to the previous harsh winter and components for a train warning system being unavailable. By late May 2016, the station was expected to open in mid to late June. The north-side drop-off area and pedestrian bridge were opened on September 30, 2016, although trains did not immediately use the north platform. Service using the north platform–including stops on some trains that formerly bypassed Branford–began on November 5, 2016.

Downtown Branford was not the only part of Branford with a train station. Stations were located at Pine Orchard (off Pine Orchard Road) and Stony Creek (off Totoket Road near Branford Center). Both stops served the Clamdigger until it was discontinued in 1972. Stony Creek was also a stop on a later reincarnation of the Clamdigger, which ran for three months in 1978 before it was replaced by the Beacon Hill.