SLE Trains to Bridgeport/Stamford

Hello -- I'm new to the forum, but will be starting a daily commute on the Metro North line in the next couple of months and am hoping someone may be able to clarify a couple of points for me.

I'm trying to reconcile conflicting information about Shore Line East trains west of New Haven. I've seen in a number of sources (the SLE website, Google Maps, etc.), that there are SLE trains stopping at Bridgeport and Stamford during peak weekday hours. However, these stops don't appear in the SLE timetables and I am having difficulty determining how they work in terms of tickets/fares. Specifically, do they require SLE tickets or MTA tickets? I( know there is also a unified pass of some kind, but pricing for that appears to be based on origination east of New Haven.) Secondly, is it possible to take these trains directly from Bridgeport to Stamford or vice versa, without originating east of New Haven?

Welcome aboard!

If you look at the SLE timetable where connecting Metro-North trains are listed you can see the arrival/departure times for the SLE through trains to/from Bridgeport and Stamford boldened in black. Also the train #s at the top will always be in the 1600 series for SLE trains if that makes it easier to find them i.e. 1610, 1640, etc.

As for fares yes you can get either a One Way, Round Trip, or Monthly UniRail/UniTicket if traveling east of New Haven. You can get either option at a Metro-North ticket machine (I think the ticket windows only sell UniRail monthlies).

If using a SLE train only between Stamford and Bridgeport (or Stratford, Milford, West Haven, or New Haven) you would use only a Metro-North ticket, not SLE or UniRail. West of New Haven the trains are handled by Metro-North and are part of the New Haven Line schedule. East of New Haven they're handled by Amtrak and therefore use a different fare system.

But to answer your second question yes you can definitely use SLE trains between Stamford and Bridgeport. Just beware that SLE trains fill up FAST at rush hour as they have no more than 4 cars per consist. You might have better luck finding a seat on a regular MNR local or semi-express.

Happy commuting!

Thank you -- that was exactly what I needed to know and very helpful!

When I took 1644 from Stamford to Westbrook 2 years ago by the time we got to New Haven it emptied and 30 seconds later it filled up again
Has Shore Line East thought about adding a 5th car to those 2 trains and a 4th car to the 3 car shuttles between New Haven and Old Saybrook and New London on weekends