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.

Connecticut Says: More M-8 Cars! The M-8s We Have Are Not Enough!!!

HARTFORD, CT, July 19, 2011 - Today, with 3 trainsets of M-8 cars operating 130 trips weekly, the State of Connecticut says that these cars are not enough. In addition to the 380 cars already ordered from the fully optioned first contract, an additional order is asking Kawasaki to build up to 25 additional cars with options for another 10-25 single cars if this additional contract is exercised by June 30, 2013. The cars will be used on the New Haven Line which services 120,000 riders a day between New Haven and New York City which is arguably called the busiest in the nation.

Connecticut’s share of the $93 million contract is $60.5 million (65%) with New York chipping in $32.6 million (35%). Governor Malloy will ask the State Bond Commission to put the state’s share on the agenda for the next meeting, scheduled for July 29.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy said, “I have made a commitment to our commuters to do everything we can to improve service, safety and reliability on the New Haven Line.” He added that, “This past winter underscored the ongoing problems with our aging train fleet, with frequent breakdowns and many cars out of service on any given day. Investing now in additional rail cars will pay off for years to come. And, we will entice more commuters to leave their cars behind and hop on the train.”

Metro-North President Howard Permut said, “Working with our partners at the Connecticut DOT, we have come up with a plan that allows for the full retirement of the problematic and obsolete design of the M-4 and M-6 fleet. This order will bring to 405 the number of new cars in service on the New Haven Line. This purchase, if approved by the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, is a first for Metro-North. It will increase the efficiency of the fleet as a whole, offering maximum flexibility, while providing a modern, uniform electric fleet. While this car is good for the railroad’s ability to operate efficiently, it is our customers who will reap the benefits of bigger windows, more comfortable seats, electrical outlets at every seat, large bathrooms that work, destination signs inside and out, a crystal clear public address system and overall elegant design.”

There are a couple of differences between this new order and the previous one. These cars will cost about $3.325 million each and are ‘blind’ (not powered). There are no hostler controls or conductor communicators either which accounts for the lower cost. As single units, they will appear between M-8 pairs which is a ratio of one trailer to four powered cars.

The bottom line is that the current fleet of 'Cosmopolitan' M-2/4/6 cars will be history in 2014. It should be noted that 230 of the 337 Cosmo cars are more than 40 years old.

It would be nice if an M-2 (barcar pair), M-4 and an M-6 triplex could be saved for a transportation museum somewhere, after all, these were the cars that saved the New Haven line years ago.

Metro-North Adds More M-8 Runs With Newly Issued Timetable

New York, NY, June 27, 2011 - With the new timetables issued, no major schedule changes were apparent but something was different. Additional runs with the new M-8 cars seemed to be in effect.

Weekday rush hour train #1229 out of New Rochelle (at 8:15 a.m.) previously was sent to a trainyard upon arrival at GCT but this has changed as the trainset has been turned around for a return revenue trip up the New Haven line instead. Evidence of additional operation is purely visual on my part when I saw a southbound passing thru New Rochelle at about 12:20pm on Sunday, June 26th. More evening runs for the new 'tomato cans' have also been scheduled as a New Haven-bound M-8 has been scheduled during the 9 p.m. hour.

The photos in this post show the 2 newest emu models side by side in the grandest train terminal anywhere. The blue M-7 (to North White Plains) and red-faced M-8 (to New Haven) trains await the call to duty at Grand Central Terminal.

These new cars are a great ride so enjoy them when you have the chance. But remember one thing, don't spill your coffee or mar the interior. I'd like to see these new cars keep looking new for a while longer.

Third M-8 Placed In Revenue Service By Metro-North

June 13, 2011 - The third M-8 emu trainset was placed into revenue service by Metro-North this week. The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT) had another one of their celebratory press releases, and with good reason. CT Gov. Dannel P. Malloy called it, "A significant milestone." Sixty M-8s are scheduled to be in service at the end of 2011 and a webpage about the M-8 rail cars coming online is available at http://www.ct.gov/dot or http://www.mta.info/.

The cars are great to ride in. My favorite features are the outlets at each row of seats and the cushiness of those seats. If you have a chance, take a ride on these cars - they're well worth the trip!

A Metro-North M-8 commuter train built by Kawasaki is bound for New Haven just passed thru Shell Interlocking where Amtrak's Hell Gate line meets Metro-North's New Haven line on 6/7/2011.