Hartford Rail Line Construction on Track for 2018

A machine the size of several rail cars has been doing the hard work when it comes to building the Hartford Line, a rail corridor that will connect 13 stops from New Haven to Hartford to Springfield.

The $1.1 billion rail line will provide commuter rail services to thousands of projected passengers starting in January 2018. State taxpayers will cover at least $435 million, the federal government will cover $204 million, and the final $517 million will have to be determined.

Governor Dannel Malloy praised the project and its progress during a press event that showed off the track Construction Machine in Wallingford.

"When you think of all of the great work that is going on in New Haven when it comes to healthcare and all of the work that is going on in the Hartford area in healthcare but on the insurance side, linking those two places with a simple train ride is going to be very exciting for a whole bunch of folks," Malloy said. 

The rail line is part of the state’s transportation overhaul. Some of the stations on the train line will be replaced while others will remain as stops but have new buildings for passengers. The Wallingford stop is an example of getting a new station.

The governor says Connecticut residents are already adjusting their habits to live in more accessible areas where they don’t need cars and the new train line should contribute to that trend.

"What we are seeing along this route are decisions by communities regarding what they’re allowing to be built along the line, like transit oriented development," Malloy said.

Amtrak, which has been handling design and construction in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Transportation, has had to build the line essentially from scratch.

Rodrigo Vitar, Amtrak’s chief engineer, said the project has seen some difficulties, but it has remained on schedule to start handling passengers.

"As you know you guys have a very harsh winter over here once or twice and that really threw a curveball into the planning aspects of the project but everything has been working perfectly at this point in time," Vitar said. 

State transportation officials said they can’t yet discuss what company would operate the rail line. The operation was put out to bid last January.

The governor also said the line will not pay for itself with just ticket sales. He said providing a rail line has a cost similar to paving and plowing highways.

"Each kind of travel has a standard. Rail has a standard, buses is another standard, cars have another standard. Transportation costs money. That’s why we have different transportation related taxes and fundraising," Malloy said. 

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