ConnDOT continues bidding process for Hartford line; launches Walk Bridge site

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a service provider on the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield intercity rail line, now branded as the CTrail Hartford Line. The RFP is open only to those service providers approved and "short-listed" after a Request for Qualifications issued by ConnDOT in 2014.

“The Hartford Line service provider will be responsible for hiring personnel, operating trains, maintaining stations, parking facilities and overseeing station advertising,” said ConnDOT Commissioner James Redeker. “Meanwhile, as the line owner, Amtrak will remain responsible for right of way maintenance, signaling and train dispatching.”

Under the RFP, responding companies will be required to provide a price proposal for providing the service, as well as a more in-depth description of their qualifications and a technical proposal detailing how they will staff, operate and maintain Hartford Line passenger rail service for ConnDOT. Final selection of a service provider is scheduled to occur in late 2016.

The CTrail Hartford Line service will provide more frequent, convenient and faster passenger rail service between New Haven, Hartford and Springfield by increasing the number of round trip trains from six daily Amtrak intercity trains to a total of 17 round trip trains a day to Hartford and 12 trains per day to Springfield. The expanded service and new stations are expected to increase ridership, improve travel times, expand intermodal transportation options, encourage economic development and create more livable and sustainable communities. The expanded service is scheduled to begin in January 2018.

ConnDot also launchd a new website for the Walk Bridge Program as part of its ongoing effort to keep the public informed as this railroad bridge project in Norwalk advances. The new website, www.walkbridgect.com, will provide the public with access to current project information, including meeting notices and construction updates. While construction of the Walk Bridge is not scheduled to begin until mid-2018, ConnDOT is planning to complete three advance construction projects that are necessary before the bridge replacement project begins.

The 120-year-old bridge carries four tracks of the New Haven commuter rail line over the Norwalk River. It swings open and closed to accommodate commercial and recreational marine traffic on the river below. When it fails to close properly – as has happened in recent years – it can cause major disruptions to rail service in the Northeast Corridor.

ConnDOT is undertaking the replacement of the Walk Bridge to provide safe, reliable rail service and enhance Connecticut’s transportation system, now and for the future. As one of the oldest movable bridges on the New Haven Line, replacement of the Walk Bridge has long been recognized as a priority to maintain critical rail service on the nation’s busiest commuter rail line.

Design of the new Walk Bridge is still at the preliminary stage and the project team is evaluating construction impacts. The overall goal is to minimize disruption in the area and to reduce the duration of construction.

The Walk Bridge carries four tracks of the New Haven Line and is critical to intercity and high-speed passenger rail service by Metro-North Railroad and Amtrak, as well as freight rail service by CSX and Providence and Worcester Railroad.

Approximately 200 trains and 125,000 passengers travel across the Walk Bridge every day and ridership is projected to double by 2065. Constructed in 1896, the aging bridge has outlived its useful lifespan and has experienced recent failures, causing safety concerns and travel delays.

 

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