Mass TransitCT2030 makes never-before-seen investments across all of the state’s rail lines. Those investments will transform the commuter experience – beginning on Day One. Over the course of the revamped ten-year program, new state-of-the-art rail cars and locomotives will be added, express service to New York Penn Station and direct service from the branch lines to New York City will be introduced, and partnerships with telecommunications companies will bring reliable high-speed data service to our trains.
Most importantly, riders will be given back time – through speedier trains, more frequent and reliable service, and more efficient options. On the New Haven Line, round-trip commuters will save at least twenty minutes per day between New Haven and the New York border by 2023, with more significant progress toward the governor’s 30/30/30 vision by 2030 and a commitment from New York State to speed their portion of the track over the same period.
Connecticut’s buses carry as many passengers each year as its railways. CT2030 makes the system easier to navigate, enables real-time bus service information statewide, and upgrades the state’s most popular routes with additional customer shelters and real-time service displays – improving the daily commute of current riders, encouraging new customers to use this low-cost, high-capacity service, and connecting neighborhoods within and between our cities and towns.
It’s all about less time commuting and more time with your family. Together, these proposed investments – alongside the state of good repair projects listed here – will lead to the fastest-ever commutes on Connecticut’s rail lines and more reliable service on the state’s bus routes.
CT2030 Mass Transit
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New Haven Line Rail Bridge Repair and Replacement Program Estimated Cost: $1.958 Billion New Haven Line Track Speed Improvement Estimated Cost $842 Million New Haven Line Signal System Replacement Estimated Cost: $350 Million 132 New Rail Cars, 30 Locomotives for New Haven Line, Waterbury & Danbury Lines, Shore Line East, Hartford Line Estimated Cost: $985 Million Rail Maintenance Shops and Storage Yards for Expanded Rail Fleet Estimated Cost: $140 Million Waterbury Line High Level Platforms Estimated Cost: $50 Million Commuter Benefit: Faster & More Reliable Service This group of projects will transform the state. Upgrading and straightening tracks, replacing century-old bridges, and adding new cars and locomotives will cut commute times from New Haven to Stamford by 10-15 minutes each way in the next four years, pave the way for further improvement by 2030, and allow Connecticut to work with New York State to speed its track and provide MetroNorth train direct access to Penn Station. On the Danbury and Waterbury branch lines, new signaling systems, new cars, and new dual-power locomotives that can run on diesel and electric tracks will allow for more frequent service and for more convenient trains that provide direct service to Stamford and New York City. Fully accessible train stations at Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, Seymour, Ansonia and Derby-Shelton will make customer boarding seamless and allow simpler rail car designs. That investment along with proposed projects on Hartford Line will make the Connecticut’s rail system 100 percent accessible to persons with disabilities.
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Total Estimated Cost $715.5 Million
Replacement of the Walk bridge allows for faster trains to pass through more frequently. This late 19th century span has gone through numerous maintenance cycles and a new bridge will end that process, allowing for trains to travel without a speed restriction, getting workers to their places of employment, and home to their families faster. This improvement is critical to speeding up trains in CT2030.
Statewide: New Bus Stops with Shelters & Digital Signage
Total Estimated Project Cost: $8 Million
Commuter Benefits: Installs universal bus stop signs statewide to provide bus stop identification and route information; Enables real-time bus service information via text message or mobile app; Adds customer shelters and real-time service information at 100 busiest bus stops.
Connecticut’s bus systems are critical to getting people to and from school and work all across the state. As segments of the economy have advanced and grown, the technology for so many of those bus stops has not. These modest upgrades provide consistency both visually and for the customer experience across the state’s bus systems, replacing bus stops adjacent to a simple street sign with proper shelters to protect from the weather, and with digital signage letting passengers know when the next bus is arriving and which route it is operating.
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Total Estimated Cost: $348 Million
Commuter Benefit: Improved maintenance facilities and new, electric buses provide more reliable and environmentally conscious public transit system
Like many other elements of the state’s infrastructure, bus equipment and maintenance around Connecticut have not seen the necessary upgrades to keep up with changing technology and to improve the customer experience. With these improvements in CT2030, CTtransit facilities are upgraded and modernized to allow for the electrification of the bus fleet, and to provide adequate maintenance. Those enhancements lead to more reliable service with more buses on the road for longer, making sure bus passengers are getting home and to work in a timely fashion.
Total Estimated Cost: $100 Million
Commuter Benefit: Faster, more frequent, more reliable service to increase ridership and improve customer experience. Replaces diesel buses with electric buses; upgrades traffic signals; provides bus stop amenities including bus shelters, lighting and real-time service information displays
This targeted improvement to the Route 1 corridor that connects Stamford, Bridgeport, and New Haven provides better and more reliable bus service to cities that rely on robust bus systems to get people home and to work. The combination of technology upgrades with service improvements means the cities and everywhere in between are better connected, providing yet another option to take cars off the road, and move more Connecticut residents around.
Hartford Line Track Expansion
Estimated Cost: $90 Million
Commuter Benefit: Expands track north of Hartford, adding capacity, and increasing access to the Hartford Line.
There are sections of track, north of Hartford, on the way to Springfield where trains can reach speeds up to 110mph, and upgrades to the system to include a second track, allow that to become a reality, making the customer experience better on the Hartford Line.
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Total Estimated Cost: $8 Million
Commuter Benefit: Connectivity with a new CTtransit & CTrail app allows customers to use mobile devices to pay fares. New kiosks on the Shore Line East service will provide additional flexibility for customers to pay their fares.
New fare system investments in coordination with Amtrak and Metro-North Railroad that will better integrate mobile ticketing and fare kiosks with existing CTtransit & CTrail fare systems. Also Shore Line East will see new ticket machine kiosks on platforms in addition to a new mobile phone app.
Total Estimated Project Cost: $50 Million
Commuter Benefit: New Enfield station increases access to the Hartford Line and provides an economic opportunity for transit-oriented development. This provides another station to expand on the early success of the Hartford Line
By increasing the number of rail stations along the Hartford Line, it provides more opportunity to take cars off the road, reducing congestion and giving options to commuters up and down the corridor. A new facility in Enfield could be a catalyst for transit oriented development, leading to economic growth.
Estimated Cost: $16 Million
Commuter Benefits: New digital displays across stations and lines provide the most up to date information regarding train times, and each train’s origin and destination.
Stations up and down all of the state’s rail lines need new display systems to tell passengers which trains are arriving and leaving and when that happens. Riders should not be checking their phone or looking at their watch trying to figure out when a train is coming or if it is going to be late.
Estimated Cost: $65 Million
Commuter Benefit: A new station in Windsor Locks along the Hartford Line, provides direct access to CT’s busiest airport, meaning fewer travelers use cars to arrive at the airport
Expansion of the Hartford Line is key to the success of CT2030, and connecting the successful rail line to Bradley International Airport provides multiple options for travelers to get to Connecticut’s only international airport.
Consistent with Governor Lamont’s vision for expanded cellular coverage and 5G service in Connecticut, the administration has been in conversation with carriers to drastically expand cellular coverage and capacity on Connecticut’s railroads. Soon, the days of dropped calls and poor cell-phone service will be replaced by high quality and and fast cellular connections that will allow riders to work on the train as if they were at the office, enable video streaming and other high-bandwidth applications and eliminate dead zones – providing a consistent user experience, and allowing commuters to make the most of their valuable time by staying connected to work and family from the moment they take their seats on a train.
Through the 5G Council – created earlier this year under the leadership of Governor Lamont – the Governor’s office and Connecticut’s Department of Transportation are actively working with cellular carriers to install dozens of new wireless small cell facilities along the New Haven Line that will drastically improve coverage in the short term, and allow for one of the nation’s first 5G-covered rail lines over the next few years.
In addition, the 132 new rail cars purchased as part of CT2030 will be designed in partnership with industry experts and equipped with roof-top antennas that enhance cellular connectivity by amplifying 4G and 5G signals throughout the cars. This approach allows railroad operators to focus on their core mission of providing safe and reliable train service. And similarly, this approach keeps responsibility for cellular and internet coverage with the companies that do it best.