(rshsdepot) Derby, CT

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Derby Railroad Station revitalized

By SEAN O'HARA  - Connecticut Post

DERBY The 98-year-old Derby Railroad Station was once a thriving rail depot,
a hub for immigrants arriving in the city and residents commuting to
Bridgeport and Waterbury. But by the 1960s, there was little need for two
stations. A national decline in rail travel brought on by the increasing
popularity of highways and airplanes led to the failure of many passenger
lines.
Eventually, the government took over the job to ensure that some rail lines
survived.

The federal government in 1970 created Amtrak to take over long haul
passenger routes between major cities and states.

In 1971, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the
Connecticut DOT formed Metro-North Railroad to operate commuter trains in
the region.

The Derby Railroad Station foundered, and commuters for years were forced to
huddle outside the vacant station.

That began to change in 1977, when the Valley Regional Planning Agency which
last year was folded into the VCOG moved its offices into the historic
building.

Sometime in the mid-1980s, the agency snared a $60,000 federal grant to
renovate the north end of the building for a waiting room for commuters.

However, the effort failed when people began vandalizing the room. The
agency decided it wasn't feasible to have a waiting room unless there was an
attendant to keep an eye on it.

Another, more successful attempt, to reopen the building to the commuting
public was made in the mid-1990s.

The DOT which leases the building to the city which in turn leases it to the
VCOG renovated the room into a coffee shop and waiting area.

About two years ago, state legislators suggested that an area of the
building that had previously been used as an office for then-U.S. Rep. James
Maloney, D-5, should become a new, limited-service DMV branch office.

A full-service DMV office in Ansonia had closed in the 1980s.

State Rep. Vincent Tonucci, D-Derby, said he and other legislators pushed fo
r the new DMV office because the building was centrally located and there
was a demand for the service.

Tonucci said it was important to breathe new life into the building and help
revitalize it.

Sean O'Hara, who covers the Valley, can be reached at 736-5441.


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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