Hartford Line to open on June 16

Connecticut Department of Transportation

The Hartford Line will begin service on June 16, following a commemorative event on June 15, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT).

“This expanded service will transform travel options in the corridor between New Haven, Conn., and Springfield, Mass., and it will be a catalyst for economic development, and business and recreational travel,” said CTDOT Commissioner James P. Redeker. “Getting new service on this line has been a monumental undertaking that has taken years of intense coordination to ensure the successful opening of service. I want to commend the team that has made this a reality. Even before the commencement of service, the state’s investment has already attracted new commercial and residential development and has become the latest engine driving Connecticut’s economy.”

The project was financed with three federal grants and state funds. CTDOT managed the full reconstruction of the rail line, which included new ballast, track, bridges, culverts, signals and grade crossings. A total of 17 trains a day will be operated by CT Rail between New Haven and Hartford and provide direct or connecting service to New York City, Boston and Vermont.

“The Hartford Line will provide the most frequent train service delivered to date under the Federal Railroad Administration intercity passenger rail grant programs begun in the Obama administration. I commend the team at the DOT for the extraordinary job they have done to make what was once just a dream become a reality,” Commissioner Redeker said. “The delivery of this new rail service is a model for the country and Connecticut should take immense pride in this achievement and celebrate not just the completion of the construction, but the beginning of a bright new transportation and economic development future for the state.”

The June opening is about six months behind what was laid out in an agreement between the state and Amtrak. The 2015 agreement allowed the project to move forward rather than languish by integrating a reduced scope of work, cost saving measures and protections against cost overruns.