 The former branch in use as the Ridgefield Rail Trail. | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Current operator | Danbury and Norwalk (former), Housatonic (former), New Haven (former) |
| Dates of operation | 1870–1964 |
| Technical | |
| Length | 4.0 miles (6.4 km) |
The Ridgefield Branch was a branch line of the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad and later the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. It ran for 4.0 miles (6.4 km) from Branchville to the center of Ridgefield, Connecticut. After a difficult and costly construction hindered by the topography of the Norwalk River valley, the branch opened in July 1870 after a year of construction. Throughout its existence, three stations (Florida, Cooper, and Ridgefield) existed on the line. In 1925, amid electrification of the neighboring Danbury Line, passenger service on the branch was terminated. Freight service continued to just the Ridgefield station until 1964, when the line was abandoned entirely.
In 2000, Connecticut Light and Power constructed the 2.3 miles (3.7 km) Ridgefield Rail Trail from part of the original corridor. In 2016, the original Ridgefield station, which had been in use as a storage shed by the Ridgefield Supply Company, was rebuilt and currently serves as a showroom.