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, and until November 7, 2011, the eastbound Amtrak Pennsylvanian on Sundays only.

Downingtown
Station with downtown Downingtown in the background
Location	159 Viaduct Avenue Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40.002545°N 75.710363°W / 40.002545; -75.710363
Owned by	Amtrak[1]
Operated by	Amtrak & SEPTA
Line(s)	Keystone Corridor (Main Line)
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3
Connections	Krapf's Transit Route "A" TMACC Evening Link
Construction
Structure type	Enclosed plexiglas shelters
Parking	360 spaces (226 daily, 134 municipal)
Bicycle facilities	2 racks (4 spaces)
Other information
Station code	DOW (Amtrak)
Fare zone	4 (SEPTA)
History
Opened	19th century
Rebuilt	1990s
Key dates
February 24, 1992	Pennsylvania Railroad depot burned[2]
Traffic
Passengers (FY 2017)	87,443[3]  12.7% (Amtrak)
Passengers (2012)	359 (weekday boardings)[4] (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 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 Coatesville toward Chicago Main Line Whitford toward New York or Exchange Place Thorndale toward Chicago Woodbine toward New York or Exchange Place

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.[2] The foundation from the old station can still be seen today.[5]

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 western-most Amtrak station on the Keystone Corridor that is also served by SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale service. Additionally, the Krapf's Transit Route "A" and TMACC Evening Link buses serve the station. In 2011, the average total weekday boardings at this station was 359, and the average total weekday alightings was 315.[4]

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

P Platform level
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Track 2	←      Paoli/​Thorndale Line toward Thorndale (Terminus) ←      Keystone Service toward Harrisburg (Coatesville) ←      Pennsylvanian does not stop here
	No service	← No regular service →
	Track 1	←      Pennsylvanian does not stop here → ←      Keystone Service toward Philadelphia or New York (Exton) → ←      Paoli/​Thorndale Line toward Suburban Station or Temple University (Whitford) →
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
B	Underpass	Crossunder between platforms

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. "Transportation Planning for the Philadelphia–Harrisburg "Keystone" Railroad Corridor" (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
2. 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.
3. "Amtrak State Fact Sheet, FY2017, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
4. "Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. pp. 71–72. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 February 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
5. Pennsylvania Railroad Stations Past and Present

External links

• Media related to Downingtown station at Wikimedia Commons
• SEPTA – Downingtown Station
• Downingtown, PA – Amtrak
• Downingtown, PA (DOW) (Amtrak's Great American Stations)
• Downingtown Amtrak-SEPTA Station (USA RailGuide – Train Web)
• Images of the Old Downingtown station, south side c.1900
• Station from Google Maps Street View