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IDK man CT has either not cared about transportation/infrastructure issues, has not really planned it out well, or had big ideas for transportation with little funds to support it
The Transportation Funds is like the Golden Egg State needs cash let's take it from the TF
pers;53170404]IF the money comes out of one fund it has to go into a different fund. That's how Govt accounting works.
From Transportation Fund, I think I said 14 times that money goes into the General Fund. You didn’t hear that?
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrGompers
/B]...to do anything is when they have a super majority. If a Governor doesn't sign a bill after five days it automatically passes. That is how our Govt works.
I swear this is like romper room for kindergartners. Didnt you guys pay attention in civics class ?
GOP guvnas are also to blame for allowing Democrats to perpetuate collusion with their constituencies, on the backs of CT’s middle class, who are giving the middle finger back to Democrats (and their supporters like... whoever) and leaving the state. If it wasn’t for foreign immigrants and Wall Street, CT’s population would be shrinking significantly.
So what are the transit expansions that are reasonably on the docket within the next decade? There are 60 M8 cars under construction so it can be reasonably assumed that there will be more traincars and more frequency for SLE and New Haven service, right? Those are EMUs which allow for faster acceleration than the current push-pull diesel units for SLE so supposedly that should allow for both shorter travel times as well as greater frequency on the tracks shared with the New Haven Line. Some of those diesel units that the M8s are replacing will likely make their way to the Hartford Line so perhaps there will be an increase of frequency for those lines and/or the ability to expand service further north in Massachusetts. Are some of those units going to make their way to the diesel branches of the New Haven Line?
Meanwhile, the rerouting of some LIRR lines to their new Grand Central terminal means that there are terminal slots that can be opened up at Penn Station so the terminal turnaround constraints during peak hours will be loosened up a bit so the main line that the New Haven Line goes on can now have greater frequency and/or SLE service reaching all the way to NYC.
In regards to rail and in comparison to the rest of the country, that’s not too bad for the next several years to come, but are there any other major transit improvements on the docket?
One thing I'm curious about is if there are any plans for more infill stations within the major cities. It seems like with having several cities and that much of the system electrified already and the use of EMUs rather than electric push pull configurations, Connecticut is pretty ripe for a S-Bahn type of system that German polycentric metropolitan areas have for rail. The only place I currently see that utilizes that hybrid of using frequent commuter rail to serve as rapid transit within the city is the heavily interlined part in New Haven with its two stations (Union and State Street stations) with short spacing between them.
Are there other cities of Connecticut that have something like that? Are there plans to make more of such? What are the infill stations that are likely to be created within the next decade? Is the East Stamford station a pipedream or is there a current push for its creation? Are there also any plans of electrification or expansion of any of the New Haven Line branches that are likely to happen within a decade? Are there any emergencies on the horizon in the next decade with parts of the system now in a state of disrepair?
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 09-24-2018 at 10:02 AM..
The only way for any of the future plans to happen is by setting up a structure for it. For example, create a Hartford Transit Authority, with relative independence from the legislature and political theater every year. Such an authority can issue bonds, obtain loans, set up trains, buses, ferries routes. But with a specific geographical area. Have DOT maintain / upgrade the rest.
Set up something similar or partner with MTA for FFC transportation.
This way CT can have long range plans, design development, public reviews, etc.
From Transportation Fund, I think I said 14 times that money goes into the General Fund. You didn’t hear that?[/b]
You have this backwards. The gas tax goes into the general fund. General fund is a catch all fund that doesn't require authorization to be moved into other funds. This is how Govt accounting works. This is also why Govt's love to put everything into the General Fund.
This is also why people want toll revenue to go into a dedicated transportation fund so it can't be siphoned off for other stuff. If it were to be siphoned off it would have to go thru the legislature first.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry10
GOP guvnas are also to blame for allowing Democrats to perpetuate collusion with their constituencies, on the backs of CT’s middle class, who are giving the middle finger back to Democrats (and their supporters like... whoever) and leaving the state. If it wasn’t for foreign immigrants and Wall Street, CT’s population would be shrinking significantly.
Democrats do not have control of anything without the direct or at least indirect consent of the Republican Governors. They have Veto power and is the main reason why our Govt has a Governor or US President. They are the last resort against crazy laws and policies.
When a party has a super majority then they have true power because the can over ride a veto. Ct Democrats do not have a super majority. The State Senate is currently even at 18-18 I think. Not sure about the house.
If you hate Democrats so much, tell us what the Republicans would do better.
The only way for any of the future plans to happen is by setting up a structure for it. For example, create a Hartford Transit Authority, with relative independence from the legislature and political theater every year. Such an authority can issue bonds, obtain loans, set up trains, buses, ferries routes. But with a specific geographical area. Have DOT maintain / upgrade the rest.
Set up something similar or partner with MTA for FFC transportation.
This way CT can have long range plans, design development, public reviews, etc.
Why would you want to create another Govt agency and fill it with Govt employees ? Haven't we established already that you and most every one else here hates Govt employees ?
Even Malloy the dino hates them, he got rid of at least 2,800 during his last 8 years.
Transportation is not a stand-alone issue and isolated from the wider issues of economy and politics. Transportation and economy improvement go hand-in-hand. Democrats are increasingly fiscal suicide bombers. GOP has a sketchy history too in fiscal matters. But if fiscally responsible Republicans take charge, or even fiscally responsible Democrats (which don’t exist anymore) things will improve.
So what are the transit expansions that are reasonably on the docket within the next decade? There are 60 M8 cars under construction so it can be reasonably assumed that there will be more traincars and more frequency for SLE and New Haven service, right? Those are EMUs which allow for faster acceleration than the current push-pull diesel units for SLE so supposedly that should allow for both shorter travel times as well as greater frequency on the tracks shared with the New Haven Line. Some of those diesel units that the M8s are replacing will likely make their way to the Hartford Line so perhaps there will be an increase of frequency for those lines and/or the ability to expand service further north in Massachusetts. Are some of those units going to make their way to the diesel branches of the New Haven Line?
Meanwhile, the rerouting of some LIRR lines to their new Grand Central terminal means that there are terminal slots that can be opened up at Penn Station so the terminal turnaround constraints during peak hours will be loosened up a bit so the main line that the New Haven Line goes on can now have greater frequency and/or SLE service reaching all the way to NYC.
In regards to rail and in comparison to the rest of the country, that’s not too bad for the next several years to come, but are there any other major transit improvements on the docket?
One thing I'm curious about is if there are any plans for more infill stations within the major cities. It seems like with having several cities and that much of the system electrified already and the use of EMUs rather than electric push pull configurations, Connecticut is pretty ripe for a S-Bahn type of system that German polycentric metropolitan areas have for rail. The only place I currently see that utilizes that hybrid of using frequent commuter rail to serve as rapid transit within the city is the heavily interlined part in New Haven with its two stations (Union and State Street stations) with short spacing between them.
Are there other cities of Connecticut that have something like that? Are there plans to make more of such? What are the infill stations that are likely to be created within the next decade? Is the East Stamford station a pipedream or is there a current push for its creation? Are there also any plans of electrification or expansion of any of the New Haven Line branches that are likely to happen within a decade? Are there any emergencies on the horizon in the next decade with parts of the system now in a state of disrepair?
With the start of CTRail service on the Hartford line, the next thing would be major improvements on the Danbury and Waterbury lines. I think the state has plans to extend the Danbury line to New Milford and maybe beyond but a lot of improvements are needed including an accessible train station there.
Bridgeport has proposed constructing a new station on the New Haven line on the East Side (called Barnum Station) and Orange still wants a station near the Yale West campus off Marsh Hill Road there. Orange is in the process of purchasing the property for it now. There are a number of new stations planned along the CTrail line including North Haven, Newington, West Hartford, Windsor Locks and Enfield.
I am not sure if the state plans to electrify the branch lines. It probably is on their list but it is so pricey and not a priority. Jay
The use of those 50 year old trains is temporary until new trains can be built. CT Rail was supposed to use train sets from a Shoreline East which was to get new trains that were on order. Because ridership on the New Haven line is way up, the state needed to take those new Shoreline East trains and use them on the New Haven line. That meant SE needed to keep using their trains until additional trains can be built. The state needed to find different trains for CT Rail. Trains are custom built. They are not mass produced like cars. It’s not like there is a used train store out there that the state can go to or a number of newer trains lying around unused. They found the 50 year old trains, rehabbed them and now are using them. It was the best option they could find. Jay
When SLE gets its new M8 traincars and its old traincars go to the Hartford Line, will the Hartford Line see increased service? Are they planning to retire the former MBTA cars as soon as the former SLE cars are moved over?
With the start of CTRail service on the Hartford line, the next thing would be major improvements on the Danbury and Waterbury lines. I think the state has plans to extend the Danbury line to New Milford and maybe beyond but a lot of improvements are needed including an accessible train station there.
Bridgeport has proposed constructing a new station on the New Haven line on the East Side (called Barnum Station) and Orange still wants a station near the Yale West campus off Marsh Hill Road there. Orange is in the process of purchasing the property for it now. There are a number of new stations planned along the CTrail line including North Haven, Newington, West Hartford, Windsor Locks and Enfield.
I am not sure if the state plans to electrify the branch lines. It probably is on their list but it is so pricey and not a priority. Jay
I see--is there any single source compiled by CDOT or by interested laymen that's actually detailing out the the list of and schedule of these rail improvements and what their status is? It does seem like Connecticut has a lot of rail on the docket, but it's pretty scattered around and it's hard to glean what the future operations are meant to be. It sort of seems like Connecticut actually has, for a region in the US, a pretty large number of rail improvements coming. Perhaps this thread would be a good source to compile these things?
I know in several other threads on this forum there's been talk about how CT doesn't have a single premier city and that's a disadvantage, but there are other regions in the developed world and in the US that have very polycentric models that do quite well and are tied together by frequent rail transit that are basically hybrid rapid transit / commuter rail systems. It seems like CT is well laid out for that kind of thing where the individual major cities in close proximity to each other basically create an attractive environment because it becomes quite easy to live in an urban neighborhood of one city and to get from there to several other urban neighborhoods in nearby cities.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 09-24-2018 at 10:37 AM..
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