Downingtown station

Downingtown station is a commuter and intercity passenger rail station located in the western suburbs of Philadelphia at West Lancaster Avenue & Stuart Avenue in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. It is served by most Amtrak Keystone Service and SEPTA Paoli/Thorndale Line trains. Amtrak's Pennsylvanian does not stop here. In 2017, the average total SEPTA weekday boardings at this station was 291, and the average total SEPTA weekday alightings was 312.^[6]

Downingtown
Amtrak and SEPTA station
Station with downtown Downingtown in the background
General information
Location	159 Viaduct Avenue Downingtown, Pennsylvania United States
Coordinates	40°00′09″N 75°42′37″W / 40.002545°N 75.710363°W / 40.002545; -75.710363
Owned by	Amtrak^[1]
Line(s)	Amtrak Keystone Corridor (Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line)
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3
Connections	SEPTA Suburban Bus: 135
Construction
Structure type	Enclosed plexiglas shelters
Parking	360 spaces (226 daily, 134 municipal)
Bicycle facilities	2 racks (4 spaces)
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: DOW
Fare zone	4 (SEPTA)
History
Opened	19th century
Rebuilt	1990s
Electrified	January 15, 1938^[2]
Key dates
February 24, 1992	Pennsylvania Railroad depot burned^[3]
Passengers
FY 2022	32,653 annually^[4] (Amtrak)
2017	291 boardings 312 alightings (weekday average)^[5] (SEPTA)
Rank	92 of 146 (SEPTA)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Coatesville toward Harrisburg Keystone Service Exton toward New York      Pennsylvanian does not stop here Preceding station SEPTA Following station Thorndale Terminus Paoli/​Thorndale Line Whitford toward Temple University
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Coatesville toward Harrisburg Keystone Service Before 1988 Whitford toward Philadelphia–Suburban Lancaster toward Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian Exton toward New York Preceding station SEPTA Following station Coatesville Closed 1996 toward Parkesburg Parkesburg Line Discontinued 1996 Whitford toward Suburban Station Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station Thorndale toward Chicago Main Line Woodbine toward New York or Exchange Place
Location Downingtown Location within Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Downingtown Downingtown (the United States) Show map of the United States

History

 

Harrisburg-bound Amtrak Keystone Service train in November 2018

The original Downingtown station was built in the 19th century by the Pennsylvania Railroad, and was destroyed by fire in the early morning of February 24, 1992.^[3] The foundation from the old station can still be seen today.^[7]

Planned replacement station

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has proposed building a new train station for Downingtown "at about a quarter mile south of Lancaster Avenue on Brandywine Avenue/US 322" starting in 2025.^[8]

Station layout

There is no ticket office at this station. There are 360 parking spaces for daily parking at the station–223 spaces are owned by SEPTA, and the remaining are part of an adjacent municipal lot. This is 32.8 track miles from Philadelphia's Suburban Station. Downingtown is the westernmost Amtrak station on the Keystone Corridor that is also served by SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale service. Additionally, the SEPTA Route 135 bus serves the station.

Downingtown has two low-level side platforms. A center track is not used for passenger service.

Gallery

•  
  Station entrance sign
•  
  Station platform
•  
  Station with downtown in background
•  
  Transfer tunnel
•  
  Stairs to the tunnel
•  
  Philadelphia-bound platform at Downingtown station
•  
  Philadelphia-bound SEPTA Paoli/Thorndale Line train stops at Downingtown station in November 2018

References

1. (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
2. "Pennsy Completes New Electric Link". The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. January 15, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved August 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.  
3. McKinney, Kevin (February 25, 1992). "Blaze Destroys Historic Train Station in Downingtown". The Philadelphia Inquirera. p. B1, B7. Retrieved March 30, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
4. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
5. "Fiscal Year 2021 Service Plan Update". SEPTA. June 2020. p. 24. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
6. "Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. p. 43-46.
7. Pennsylvania Railroad Stations Past and Present
8. Rettew, Bill (2022-02-01). "Start of construction for new Downingtown Train Station set for 2025". Daily Local. Retrieved 2022-02-02.

External links

  Media related to Downingtown station at Wikimedia Commons

• SEPTA – Downingtown station

• Downingtown, PA – Amtrak
• Downingtown, PA – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Downingtown Amtrak-SEPTA Station (USA RailGuide – Train Web)
• Images of the Old Downingtown station, south side c.1900 2010-12-02 at the Wayback Machine

40°00′09″N 75°42′37″W / 40.002545°N 75.710363°W / 40.002545; -75.710363