Connecticut DOT launches new ‘CTrail’ Hartford Line

Hartford, Ct, June 15, 2018 - Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy said, “Over time, we turned our back on rail and it hurt us. This is the day we change that.” He joined dozens of federal, state, and local officials, and Connecticut commuters to officially launch the CTrail Hartford Line for service.  The passenger rail line, which has multiple stations in Central Connecticut along the I-91 corridor connecting New Haven, Hartford, and Springfield, Mass., is the first passenger rail line to open for service in Connecticut since 1990.

Former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd added that, “Projects like this don’t always happen. You talk about them. You plan them, but things intervene and get you off the tracks. But this project did happen.”

Beginning on Saturday, June 16, 2018, regular service on the line calls for 17 weekday round trips (14 on the weekends) between New Haven Union Station and Springfield Mass with intermediate stops at New Haven State Street, Wallingford, Meriden, Berlin, Hartford, Windsor and Windsor Locks with trains reaching speeds of 110 miles per hour.  Trains operate about every 45 minutes during the morning and evening peak periods. During the Saturday, June 16, 2018 thru Sunday June 17th, the rail line operated free of charge for all commuters with a standing room only situation for Saturday.

The CTrail Hartford Line begins regular operations on Saturday, June 16, 2018.  For the first full weekend (June 16 and 17), Full, expanded weekday service begins on Monday, June 18, with trains running approximately every 45 minutes during the morning and evening peak periods.  The expanded service will be in addition to the existing Amtrak service in the corridor, and trains will reach speeds of 110 miles per hour.

Governor Malloy added that, “With the launch of the Hartford Line, Connecticut is taking long-overdue, bold steps to invest in our future – laying the tracks for job growth, business expansion, and the revitalization of our urban areas. Investing in our transportation system is critical to drive economic growth, boost development, create jobs, and improve the overall quality of life for our residents.  If we want our state to be competitive and attract the jobs of the future, investing in our transportation system is not optional. This project will improve lives, ease congestion, reduce pollution, and enhance our overall quality of life.  It is the culmination of years of planning, regional cooperation, and strong partnerships on the local, state and federal levels. Countless people have contributed thousands of hours to this project and I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone from the workaday planners and designers at drawing boards behind the scenes to the top-ranking officials and leaders.  New transit-oriented development is already well under way along the line, and we expect hundreds of thousands of passenger trips each year, with healthy growth going forward.”

Senator Blumenthal took a dig at the cancelled Florida rail project by saying that Connecticut and its legislature were fortunate to be the winners of the Florida rail demise that Connecticut avoided and that federal leadership should take a lesson from this in that money for transportation means an economic boon for residents of the Nutmeg State that now have the first safe and speedy rail line with Positive Train Control (PTC) in the nation.

Senator Chris Dodd who worked feverishly to get a study funded 10 years ago to get federal money committed which led the way for this 62-mile line that will enhance the rebuilding of local communities and a boon in the housing markets because of the investment in rail.

Evidently, Nutmeggers are enthusiastic about the new rail line as Saturday’s free trips resulted in a standing room only situation aboard the trains.

The new CTrail Hartford Line is expected to create: millions of dollars in transit-oriented development; the lessening of 1.5 million cars from the I-91 corridor and a reduction of 100 million miles annually; over 3.5 million gallons of fuel will not be used annually; ridership is expected to reach 700,000 passenger trips each year, and; create 13,000 jobs.

A zone fare system is being used as a trip between Hartford and New Haven costs only $8.00.

Amtrak's New Haven-Springfield Line Construction Will Cause ‘Bustitution’

Hartford, Ct., August 2, 2015 –

On the heels of Connecticut Governor Malloy’s statements in a scathing letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in June, terming Amtrak’s poor management of the project that they "failed to manage budgeting and staffing for what was supposed to be a $365 million job.” He later added that the project was way over budget and significantly behind schedule.

On Friday July 31, apparently things have now changed for the line that once had 2 tracks in service. If Amtrak agrees, buses will provide gap service for about a year while the work is in progress for Amtrak service between the 2 cities in a joint statement by the state and national carrier – a significant modification of service delivery.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office was ecstatic that shovels will soon be in the ground and the project will be moving forward.

A switch allowing trains to operate on a parallel set of tracks that will be owned by Amtrak (since they own the roadbed) will allow workers to get the project done faster in the long run. The second set of rails is a feature ConnDOT was looking to be implemented by December 2016.

Photo caption: Amtrak's New Haven-Springfield shuttle pulls into Hartford Union Station in 2013.

Metro-North M-2 Cars Saying Goodbye With New Reporting Marks

New Haven, CT, July, 2015 -

It appears the last of the M-2 cars on the property have completed their service on Metro-North. Some have gone so far as to say the 'Cosmo' cars just might’ve been the best commuter car ever built in this country.  
 
In what could be described as a last goodbye to the region they served so well for almost 40 years, the last eight M-2 cars departed Cedar Hill Yard recently as a CSX diesel loco towed them to their final resting place. The car numbers were obliterated and replaced with FICX reporting marks, a symbol of the new owner Frontier Industrial Recycling.

The final destination is a scrap yard in the famous railroad town of Ashtabula, Ohio.

Adieu to the M-2, you served us well.

Photo caption: Cosmo cars on the layup track in New Haven, Ct. during an ERA tour in March, 2015.

Connecticut's Norwalk Railroad Bridge Snarls 2 Rush Hours In A Week

Norwalk, Ct, June, 2014 - Twice in the same 7-day period in June, the 117-year-old Norwalk River Bridge was stuck in the open position as all Metro-North and Amtrak trains could not complete their appointed rounds for three hours during the pm rush.

While an old swing-bridge my have historical and sentimental value, it is so old and bad shape, it needs to be replaced.
To his credit, Ct. Gov. Malloy called for meetings with the MTA, ConnDOT, engineers and experts to see what can be done about fixing it and building a replacement. However in recent years, Gov. Malloy has done as predecessors Rowland and Rell before him didn't do the right thing instead of replacing or repairing old bridges. The money went into other places to balance the budget. Reality bites you in the rear at the most inopportune times and another oops moment pops up.
Connecticut owns the bridge and the Governor is looking for $465 million in Fed bread with Super Storm Sandy money to pay 75% of the cost to replace it. In this day and age, it is a tough political sell in our Nation's Capital.

The logistical issue of replacing the bridge is problematic. Land acquisition is the big problem as there's no room as a parallel bridge needs to be built with a modified right of way that would be exactly over existing structures and ongoing businesses. They say it will take 6 years to do it but I'm sure it will be longer than that.

Pleasure boat use and industrial heating-oil-carrying barges all stake a legal need to open the bridge for their use, much to the chagrin of 120,000 daily rail riders. Enough emergency bus service isn't available to ferry inconvenienced passengers especially during rush hours.

Meanwhile, Northeast Corridor riders can only hope they won't get stuck.

Clearly something needs to be done. Time is of the essence but time is also a commodity that is a tough factor when studies, planning and land acquisition are all roadblocks to the swift completion of a really dire need.

Good luck.

Photo caption: A pair of Metro-North M-8 trainsets pass each other on 'The Walk' - Norwalk's River Bridge.