Don’t you just love it when you arrive at the platform and within minutes a train arrives? Or it just ruins your morning if you are late by a few minutes and just missed the train and will have to wait 30 minutes before the next one arrives. Train frequency matters. If you choose the right station to depart from, you can strategically plan your morning commute. Driving to the closest station might not always be your best option. It might be worth it to drive that extra 5-10 minutes to another Metro-North station with more frequent trains. We did the research for you. We looked at Metro-North trains heading to New York City’s Grand Central Terminal departing between 7:25am-8:35am (give or take 3 minutes) and calculated the train frequency per station. Which Fairfield County Metro-North Train Stations have the most trains to NYC? Click here for the Westchester County Metro-North Train Stations with the most trains to NYC.
Metro-North Stations with the Most Trains to NYC
Most of the stations average around 3-4 trains. Stamford train station has the most trains to NYC with 14 trains (it even beats White Plains station which is the Westchester train station with the most trains to NYC!) Greenwich train station is second with 8 trains followed by South Norwalk at 6 trains and Cos Cob, Riverside, Old Greenwich, East Norwalk and Fairfield at 5 trains.
Stamford- 14 trains
Greenwich- 8 trains
South Norwalk- 6 trains
Cos Cob- 5 trains
Riverside- 5 trains
Old Greenwich- 5 trains
East Norwalk- 5 trains
Fairfield- 5 trains
Metro-North Stations with the Least Trains to NYC
Below are the stations with the least trains to New York City. Cannondale, Branchville, Redding, Bethel and Danbury stations have 2 trains going into the city but because they are part of the Danbury Branch stations, one out of the two trains have a transfer at South Norwalk. Which essentially means those stations only have one direct train to NYC.
Southport- 2 trains
Springdale- 2 trains
Talmadge Hill- 2 trains
New Canaan- 2 trains
Cannondale- 2 trains (one train is a transfer in South Norwalk)
Branchville- 2 trains (one train is a transfer in South Norwalk)
Redding- 2 trains (one train is a transfer in South Norwalk)
Bethel- 2 trains (one train is a transfer in South Norwalk)
Danbury- 2 trains (one train is a transfer in South Norwalk)
Skip the New Canaan and Danbury Branch Metro-North Train Stations
New Canaan and Danbury Branch train stations does not have a lot of trains going into the city and some trains are not direct and will require you to transfer trains in Stamford or South Norwalk. Depending on where you live, it may be worth crossing the border to New York and taking trains from the Harlem Line. Below are the number of trains to NYC on the Harlem Line departing between 7:25am-8:35am (give or take 3 minutes). The list below are the Harlem line stations closest to New Canaan/Danbury/Ridgefield area.
Pleasantville- 4 trains
Chappaqua- 5 trains
Mt. Kisco- 7 trains
Bedford Hills- 3 trains
Katonah- 3 trains
Goldens Bridge- 5 trains
Purdy’s- 5 trains
Croton Falls- 5 trains
Brewster- 5 trains
Southeast- 4 trains
If you live in Ridgefield, it may be worth it to go to New York and take the Harlem line train from Goldens Bridge or Purdy’s. Both stations have 5 direct trains going into the city versus 2 trains for the stations on the Danbury Line (note that one of the Danbury line train is not a direct train to NYC and will require a transfer at South Norwalk station, which essentially brings it down to one direct train to NYC).
What does this mean to your commute to NYC?
If your station does not get a lot of trains to NYC, perhaps you should reassess your morning commute strategy. Is there another station you can take that has more frequent trains? How far are you from Stamford train station? Maybe it is worth the drive to Stamford since Stamford gets 14 trains to NYC (that is approximately one train every 5 minutes!). However, you should also consider the Metro-North train station parking situation- can you easily get a spot? Is there a waitlist? Fortunately, Stamford has parking lots with little to no waitlist.
By mapping out the distance between where you live and the stations with the most trains to NYC, hopefully you will discover a station that will cut down your morning commute!
Check out the link below to get the comprehensive list of number of trains to New York City by Metro-North Railroad stations.
Metro-North Railroad- Number of Trains to New York City
You may also be interested in:
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Top 5 Westchester Towns with the Shortest Commute and Best Schools
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Which Westchester School Districts Provide School Bus Transportation?
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Insider’s Guide to Parking at the Greenwich Metro-North Train Station
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*All information were accurate when we were putting this guide together, however, please check the Metro-North Railroad schedule to verify that nothing has changed.