Rob Ryser | Nov. 22, 2021
Lawmakers want CT to electrify Danbury rail line, expand service to Brookfield and New Milford
DANBURY - A group of lawmakers is calling on Connecticut to earmark newly awarded transportation money from Washington to electrify the rail connection between here and South Norwalk, and to expand passenger train service on the Danbury line to Brookfield and New Milford.
“By investing in rail service, we can reduce vehicular congestion off Route 7, enhance economic development, and limit our carbon footprint,” reads a letter to Connecticut’s transportation czar from 18 state lawmakers, led by Reps. Raghib Allie-Brennan, a Democrat representing Bethel, Danbury, Redding and Newtown, and Bill Buckbee, a Republican from New Milford. “These improvements have been extensively studied over the past decade and have been shown to reduce travel time and increase ridership.”
The hope is to secure funding for the two rail projects out of the $5 billion coming to Connecticut’s Department of Transportation from the $1 trillion federal infrastructure package signed last week by President Joe Biden.
“The vision for improving the state’s infrastructure must include electrification and extension of the Danbury branch of Metro-North Railroad,” Allie-Brennan said in a prepared statement. “Whether or not you live in a town on the Danbury line, this investment is important for you.”
Buckbee agreed that the two rail projects would “secure the economic vitality of the region.”
“It’s been more than 50 years that commuter rail ran through our community and now that the resources are available from our federal partners, let’s use those dollars for what they’re intended for - connecting more travelers to quality public transportation,” Buckbee said in a prepared statement. “With the addition of a greater commuter rail option in western Connecticut, our roadways will be less congested, tourism opportunities will increase, and it’ll be easier for daily commuters to get to their jobs.”
The lawmakers’ lobbying effort follows a visit to Danbury earlier this month by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who said Danbury was more likely than other locations to receive federal money for infrastructure improvements because “Danbury more than most other towns in the state (is) truly poised for progress.”
The state lawmakers’ letter does not mention the reopening of the Maybrook line from Danbury to Southeast, to reduce commuting traffic to New York City and create a faster train from here to Grand Central Terminal. That proposal, which has the backing of Metro-North President Cathy Rinaldi and state DOT Commissioner Joe Giulietti, is being studied with the support of a $1 million grant from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council.
Instead, Allie-Brennan, Buckbee and the Connecticut lawmakers said “[I]t is high time the Danbury Branch Line was addressed,” and “Now is the time to invest in the prosperity of western Connecticut.”
The lawmakers’ group wants to save Danbury commuters lost riding time by retiring the old diesel engines and replacing them with electric trains. The group also hopes to activate passenger trains on the Housatonic Railroad freight line from here to New Milford, providing the first commuter service for Brookfield and New Milford in two generations.
A regional planning leader agreed.
“Modernization and extension of the Danbury branch has been a long-standing priority of the region,” said Francis Pickering, executive director of Western Connecticut Council of Governments, in a prepared statement. “Improving service on the line will build on the dynamic growth that has propelled the region over the last year and that has heralded the state’s economic renaissance.”
rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
The lawmakers’ lobbying effort follows a visit to Danbury earlier this month by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who said Danbury was more likely than other locations to receive federal money for infrastructure improvements because “Danbury more than most other towns in the state (is) truly poised for progress.”
The lawmakers’ lobbying effort follows a visit to Danbury earlier this month by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who said Danbury was more likely than other locations to receive federal money for infrastructure improvements because “Danbury more than most other towns in the state (is) truly poised for progress.”
“The vision for improving the state’s infrastructure must include electrification and extension of the Danbury branch of Metro-North Railroad,” Allie-Brennan said in a prepared statement. “Whether or not you live in a town on the Danbury line, this investment is important for you.”
Buckbee agreed that the two rail projects would “secure the economic vitality of the region.”
