[western mass and love it]

was wondering if any one had any new insight into this proposed project.it would greatly improve the transportation issues of the area. i think it would improve the way companies look at the area and possibly stimulate job growth,ease the congestion on 91 and the surrounding roads.and bring the region into the 21st century.

[7 Wishes]

Don't know much about current status, but it would be a neat complement to the Metro North New Haven Line and the Shore Line East so I hope it happens. CT would probably become the most rail-accessible small state in the nation.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by western mass and love it

was wondering if any one had any new insight into this proposed project.it would greatly improve the transportation issues of the area. i think it would improve the way companies look at the area and possibly stimulate job growth,ease the congestion on 91 and the surrounding roads.and bring the region into the 21st century.

I can't speak for Mass, but CT does not have any transportation "issues" going North/South on 91. A little slowdown here and there through Hartford, but no problems like down in SW CT.

I do think it would be a good thing to have, but I don't see it being a priority like rail improvements that are needed down in FFC.

[njohnson]

I think it's a priority to be proactive. Too many times our government in general is reactive instead and it just causes more problems down the line.

We also need a severely upgraded Metro North system. What we have now is junk and inadequate. What is needed is a series of high speed rail lines with alternating staggered stopping lines.

[JayCT]

The New Haven/Hartford/Springfield commuter rail project is currently completing its environmental review process. The project will involve a significant upgrade to the tracks along the line which necessiatated going through the standard NEPA study and review process. That process should be complete early next year. Once completed, desing of the rail improvements can begin and construction can start. I would not look for this service to start for at least five years.

The good news is that at a recent Congressional Field Hearing held by Senator Dodd in New Haven, ConnDOT Commissioner Joseph Marrie and the President of AMtrak both vowed to work together to get the service started as soon as possible. Amtrak owns the line and was hesitant to commit but now appears to not only want the service, they are recommending a full upgrade of the line to 2 tracks from Springfield to New Haven. The line currently has one track with a few sections of two for train bypass. ConnDOT's upgrade would have added to the two lane sections to allow for more bypass. A full 2 tracks from Springfield to New Haven would allow a lot more trains.

Of course all of this will cost a LOT of money and there is hope that it will qualify under President Obama's new high speed rail initiative. We will see. Jay

PS - Before anyone goes off and starts claiiming that ConnDOT is too highway oriented. According to the American Train Association, Connecticut is number one per capita in the country in spending on transit.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by JViello

I can't speak for Mass, but CT does not have any transportation "issues" going North/South on 91. A little slowdown here and there through Hartford, but no problems like down in SW CT.

I do think it would be a good thing to have, but I don't see it being a priority like rail improvements that are needed down in FFC.

I agree, if it's a choice due to money, I'd rather see them improve Fairfield County as well. But I figured since the tracks are already there maybe it's not too much funds and action to make happen and be proactive for the future. Shore Line East pretty much just added to existing infrastructure.

Jay, your info on CT and spending on transit in interesting. I had a suspicion knowing the extent of Metro North and Shore Line East relative to the size of the state (the knee-jerk answer would be NY but it ignores upstate, which to the surprise of most people is over 1/3 of the state's population and brings the number down).

[netdragon]

As someone who moved from CT to Atlanta and saw what rail can do, I can say that the rail will at the very least encourage mixed-use development around the stations. That will more than pay itself back in revenue from taxes if the state is smart enough to help draw investors to build around the stations with private-public sponsorship programs. Heck, East Windsor alone has a huge swath of tabacco farmland along I-91 that can easily be developed.

Another thing you haven't considered is that Hartford and Springfield really need to become a single metro with cross-commute to be big enough to compete with metro areas like Atlanta. This rail will offer a single transit backbone that will be a huge step forward in starting to compete with other areas.

The most rail-accessible state per-capita is and will continue to be New Jersey, considering most of it is part of two major metro areas. However, considering Connecticut has a huge game of catch-up, this will be a major step forward.

[wanderintonc]

I heard that they (don't know who 'they' is, Feds maybe) are building either two train, or bus, stations on New Park Ave in West Hartford. Right next to the train tracks. Anyone know about these?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by wanderintonc

I heard that they (don't know who 'they' is, Feds maybe) are building either two train, or bus, stations on New Park Ave in West Hartford. Right next to the train tracks. Anyone know about these?

That would be a bus station on the New Britain Hartford busway which should start construction next year. This project is a dedicated bus roadway that would follow an old abandoned train track from downtown New Britain to Newington where it would join the existing Amtrak line and head into downtown Hartford. A busway is like a light rail line except instead of have tracks and streetcars it has a raodbed and buses. These have been very successful in other parts of the country and should work well in a city the size of Hartford.

This project has been on the planning boards for years and finally looks to be a reality if the local politicans don't mess it up with there latest scheme to build at rail line directly from Waterbury to Hartford. If that is pushed forward, the state would have to scrap the busway. Jay

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by netdragon

Another thing you haven't considered is that Hartford and Springfield really need to become a single metro with cross-commute to be big enough to compete with metro areas like Atlanta. .

Why would we ever want that to happen???