Officials investigate Stamford train station ceiling collapse

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A large section of the ceiling is collapsed at Stamford Transportation Center in Stamford, Conn. Thursday, June 1, 2023. A section of the ceiling collapsed in a tunnel near the main entrance on the southern side of the station Wednesday afternoon. Nobody was injured, but the area remains closed off as crews assess the damage.

Crews repair the collapsed ceiling at Stamford Transportation Center in Stamford, Conn. Thursday, June 1, 2023. A section of the ceiling collapsed in a tunnel near the main entrance on the southern side of the station Wednesday afternoon. Nobody was injured, but the area remains closed off as crews assess the damage.

A large section of the ceiling is collapsed at Stamford Transportation Center in Stamford, Conn. Thursday, June 1, 2023. A section of the ceiling collapsed in a tunnel near the main entrance on the southern side of the station Wednesday afternoon. Nobody was injured, but the area remains closed off as crews assess the damage.

Crews repair the collapsed ceiling at Stamford Transportation Center in Stamford, Conn. Thursday, June 1, 2023. A section of the ceiling collapsed in a tunnel near the main entrance on the southern side of the station Wednesday afternoon. Nobody was injured, but the area remains closed off as crews assess the damage.

A large section of the ceiling is collapsed at Stamford Transportation Center in Stamford, Conn. Thursday, June 1, 2023. A section of the ceiling collapsed in a tunnel near the main entrance on the southern side of the station Wednesday afternoon. Nobody was injured, but the area remains closed off as crews assess the damage.

Crews repair the collapsed ceiling at Stamford Transportation Center in Stamford, Conn. Thursday, June 1, 2023. A section of the ceiling collapsed in a tunnel near the main entrance on the southern side of the station Wednesday afternoon. Nobody was injured, but the area remains closed off as crews assess the damage.

STAMFORD — State transportation engineers were at the Stamford train station Thursday morning investigating a ceiling collapse that closed off a stairwell leading to train tracks.

As passengers filed into the station for their morning commute, the chunk of fallen ceiling was still visible and covered the length of the wide entrance into the stairwell, closed off with police tape. Above, a noticeable stain could be viewed on a portion of the ceiling still in place.

The stairwell where the ceiling fell is located on the southern side of the station and runs parallel to Station Place, the street that separates the station from the existing parking garage.

Shannon Burnham, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, said engineers are inspecting the incident.

"We’re investigating what the cause was," Burnham said.

By Thursday morning, there was no estimate for when the stairwell would reopen.

Burnham said that after the collapse, station staff directed passengers to alternate ways of entering and exiting the station. The stairwell where the ceiling collapsed is directly under an escalator that is currently being replaced by the state DOT.

"There is a lot of construction work that has been going on at the Stamford train station," Burnham said.

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A statement from DOT sent out Wednesday night described the fallen pieces as "ceiling liner." Kafi Rouse, director of communications for DOT, said the ceiling is made of concrete plaster with wire mesh, and is supported by a steel frame grid and hangers.

Aaron Miller, special assistant to Mayor Caroline Simmons, sent out a statement from the city on Wednesday night about the ceiling collapse which was described as an "isolated incident."

According to the statement, Stamford 911 dispatch received multiple calls about the ceiling collapse around 5:23 p.m.

"Once on the scene, the Stamford Fire Department determined that there was a partial ceiling collapse near an escalator that is currently being replaced by the Connecticut State Department of Transportation," the statement read. "An individual was transported to Stamford Hospital with minor injuries not sustained from the collapse."

The statement said the city's Building Department and Fire Department would work with state officials to determine the cause of the collapse.

Train operations were not impacted by the incident.

Stamford resident Jeff Maron, vice chair of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council, said he arrived to Stamford train station on Wednesday roughly 40 minutes after the collapse. He said there was no communication to riders about the incident from the DOT, nor did he spot staff directing commuters to accessible parts of the station once he arrived.

A longtime advocate for train riders and a critic of the DOT's maintenance of both the Stamford train station and the adjacent current parking garage, Maron said the collapse was another sign of issues that have plagued the two structures.

"It's the result of years of indifference, neglect, lack of investment, lack of maintenance," he said. "Ceilings don't just fall down."