If you get around by train or bus, you could be seeing some changes to your routes. The Connecticut Department of Transportation is holding a series of public hearings to go over proposed service and fare changes. They would go into effect later this year or in early 2024.
Many bus and train lines across the state will get expanded routes and schedules. However at the first public hearing in New Haven Monday night, much of the public’s concern centered around the proposed service cuts to Shoreline East. That Amtrak line that runs from New Haven’s Union Station along the shoreline to New London.
“Shoreline East is a lifeline for its riders,” Ewing Leon, of Mount Vernon, New York, said at the public hearing.
At the first of several public hearings, a dozen people sounded off on the proposed service cuts to CT Rail’s Shoreline East.
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“My big concern is that this cut is just going to decimate it,” State Rep. Devin Carney, (R) 23rd District, said.
They raised concerns about fewer trains, disrupted commutes and the impact on towns that have built infrastructure around the railway.
“I'm embarrassed to tell my children they live in a town with tracks that run right through it but no service,” Jessecca Hager, of Branford, said.
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The DOT is looking at reducing Shoreline East service from 23 trains a day to 15, saying ridership is at only 30% of pre-pandemic levels.
“To put that in comparison, the New Haven line is about 70% recovered, and the Hartford line is about 90% recovered,” Josh Morgan, DOT spokesperson said. “For Shoreline East, that rail line is not recovering as strong as some of the other rail lines here in Connecticut.”
Some advocates for increasing the line service see more trains as the answer to bolstering ridership.
“The only way to build ridership back is to have more train service,” Leon said.
This change comes along with a proposed fare hike of 4.5% across all train service.
“If you’re not getting the same thing, but you’re paying more, people are very aggravated,” Susan Feaster, of Shoreline East Rider’s Advocacy Group, said.
The DOT points out there has not been a fare increase since 2018, and the new prices would match MTA rates in New York.
The Bureau Chief of Public Transportation also says many of these changes are driven by the new budget passed by the state legislature this year.
“We went out and rode trains, we looked at data, as well as customer feedback in order to identify train services or particular trains to reduce to align with the new budgetary reality,” Benjamin Limmer, CT DOT bureau chief of public transportation, said.
Meanwhile, bus transportation is getting and additional $8 million investment per year, which means fares will hold steady and routes will expand per the proposals.
That is welcome news to New Haven resident William Long, who uses a wheelchair and relies on the bus three days a week to visit the veterans’ hospital.
“For me, it’s great because I can keep my independence,” Long said.
The public can weigh in on the proposed bus and rail changes through Friday, either by attending one of three more public hearings happening this week, or reaching out to the DOT. People can also fill out feedback cards at five public libraries.
All of the details on the proposed changes, as well as information about contacting the DOT, can be found online.
