Home/Metro-North/Danbury/Grand Central to Darien
Grand Central → Darien
- Travel time
- 61min
- Peak fare
- $17.75
- Off-peak
- $13.25
- Weekday trains
- 41
Trains run direct from Grand Central to Darien on the Danbury Branch, no change of train. The trip takes 56 to 80 minutes and covers 34.5 miles with 3 stops in between. There are 41 trains each weekday, roughly one every 30 minutes, with the first at 12:07 AM and the last at 11:28 PM. A one-way ticket costs $17.75 at peak and $13.25 off-peak.
This is the outbound direction, leaving Grand Central. Weekday trains scheduled to leave between 4:00 and 8:00 PM charge the peak fare, $17.75; earlier, later and all weekend the off-peak fare, $13.25, applies. In this direction the gap between trains is about 34 minutes in the morning peak and 30 minutes at midday. 40 of the 41 weekday trains skip stops; the fastest run is what the travel-time range below reflects. Going back, Darien to Grand Central has 37 weekday trains, first at 4:51 AM and last at 12:24 AM, taking 61 to 74 minutes.
Updated 21 Sep 2026 · Metro-North Railroad GTFS · MTA Metro-North fares to Grand Central, effective July 1 2026
The Danbury Branch leaves the New Haven Line at South Norwalk and runs north through Merritt 7, Wilton, Cannondale, Branchville, Redding and Bethel to Danbury.
Calling points
ServiceGrand Central to Darien
FaresZone 1 → Zone 16
Source: MTA Metro-North fares to Grand Central, effective July 1 2026.
How the pass break-even is calculated
Metro-North prices by fare zone, counted outward from Grand Central Terminal and Harlem-125th Street, which are zone 1. The Hudson and Harlem Lines use one series of zones; the New Haven Line uses a separate series that starts at zone 11, so a zone number on its own does not say how far you are from Manhattan. Trips that do not touch zone 1 use intermediate fares, which cost the same on every train.
Peak fares apply on weekday trains scheduled to arrive at Grand Central or Harlem-125th Street between 6:00 and 10:00 AM, to leave them between 4:00 and 8:00 PM, and on trains leaving Grand Central between 6:00 and 9:00 AM. Weekends and holidays are off-peak all day.
Tickets are sold in the MTA TrainTime app, at station machines and ticket windows, and on board at a higher price. Senior, disabled and Medicare fares are reduced but are not valid on weekday morning peak trains into Manhattan. Weekly and monthly tickets cover unlimited travel between two zones. Fares on the Connecticut portion of the New Haven Line and its branches are set with the Connecticut Department of Transportation and published on the same MTA fare charts this site reads.
Stopping pattern
Questions
How long is the train from Grand Central to Darien?
Between 56 and 80 minutes on the published schedule; the typical run is 61 minutes with 3 stops in between.
Are there express trains from Grand Central to Darien?
Yes. 40 of the 41 weekday trains skip stops. The fastest makes 1 stops and the fullest 10, which is the difference between 56 and 80 minutes.
Is it cheaper off-peak?
Yes. The one-way fare is $13.25 off-peak and $17.75 on a peak train. Peak means a weekday departure from the terminal between 4:00 and 8:00 PM.
When is the first and last train from Grand Central?
The first weekday departure is at 12:07 AM and the last at 11:28 PM. Weekends run 37 trains on Saturday and 37 on Sunday.
How often do trains run in the morning peak?
Between 6 and 10 AM the gap between departures averages about 34 minutes in this direction.
Are Grand Central and Darien accessible?
Grand Central is listed as fully accessible and Darien as fully accessible in the MTA station dataset. Lift outages are not reflected here; check the operator before you travel.
Which fare zones does this trip cross?
Grand Central is in zone 1 and Darien in zone 16. The fare is set by those two zones, not by the stops in between.
Do I need to change trains?
No. Every train counted here runs direct on the Danbury Branch.