Hoping to use the bathroom before or after you get on the train? You won't be able to at some new commuter rail stations being built in the state.
A Wallingford train station under construction as part of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Rail Program and set to open in 2016 will have the latest technology, including a snow melting system, passenger information system and charging stations for electric vehicles, but it won't have a public restroom.
And it's not the only one. Many other commuter rail stations coming to the state between New Haven and Springfield, Massachusetts won't have bathrooms either, and that has raised some concerns.
One issue raised is the unavailability of restrooms for commuters with disabilities. Some argue that train cars that have seating for the disabled don't have bathrooms.
Officials from the state Department of Transportation denied that.
"All the bathrooms are ADA accessible and they're on every other car... Readily accessible," James Redeker, the state's transportation commissioner, said.
Wallingford residents also said that there won't likely be any other developments near the new station with public bathrooms because the area near Parker and North Cherry streets is mostly residential.
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Redeker said the decision mostly comes down to duplication. He said officials also believe bathrooms on the train cars are enough and that adding restrooms to the stations would put more of a burden on taxpayers.
"Every train has bathroom facilities on them, so the duplication of resources, I didn't feel, was necessary to spend ... providing a great service for the commuters," Redeker said.
The new service is set to begin in 2016, increasing the number of trains on the corridor from six to 17 daily round-trips between New Haven and Hartford and 13 trains continuing to Springfield, Massachusetts.
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