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
Location159 Viaduct Avenue
Downingtown, Pennsylvania
United States
Coordinates40°00′09″N 75°42′37″W / 40.002545°N 75.710363°W / 40.002545; -75.710363
Owned byAmtrak[1]
Line(s)Amtrak Keystone Corridor
(Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line)
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks3
ConnectionsSuburban Bus SEPTA Suburban Bus: 135
Construction
Structure typeEnclosed plexiglas shelters
Parking360 spaces (226 daily, 134 municipal)
Bicycle facilities2 racks (4 spaces)
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: DOW
Fare zone4 (SEPTA)
History
Opened19th century
Rebuilt1990s
ElectrifiedJanuary 15, 1938[2]
Key dates
February 24, 1992Pennsylvania Railroad depot burned[3]
Passengers
FY 202346,438 annually[4] (Amtrak)
2017291 boardings
312 alightings
(weekday average)[5] (SEPTA)
Rank92 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
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Coatesville
toward Harrisburg
Keystone Service
Before 1988
Whitford
Lancaster
toward Pittsburgh
Pennsylvanian Exton
toward New York
Preceding station SEPTA Following station
Coatesville
Closed 1996
toward Parkesburg
Parkesburg Line
Discontinued 1996
Whitford
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Thorndale
toward Chicago
Main Line Woodbine
Location
Map

History

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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

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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

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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.

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References

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  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. ^ "Pennsy Completes New Electric Link". The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. January 15, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved August 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ a b 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 2023: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  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.
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  Media related to Downingtown station at Wikimedia Commons

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