CT Construction Digest Monday February 2, 2020
DOT Workers Push For Automated Safety Devices in Work Zones
Jack Kramer
HARTFORD, CT — Those who work on Connecticut’s highways made a passionate pitch Friday for a bill that would allow the use of automated traffic enforcement safety devices within maintenance work zones.Distracted driving and total disregard for posted speed limits have made highway work zone maintenance a job more dangerous than ever before, Department of Transportation workers told lawmakers.
“Every single day we are out there we are putting our lives at risk. Our jobs are dangerous,” said Les Archer, a transportation maintainer for the DOT, speaking before the Transportation Committee’s public hearing.
Archer, who has worked for DOT for 24 years, said the issue was so important, he and several of his colleagues took time off from work to come to Hartford to testify in favor of HB 5198, An Act Concerning Maintenance Work Zone Safety Enforcement.
The bill would allow cameras to be placed in work zones where there are no police officers on duty starting next January. The cameras will be used to capture the license plate number of any vehicle driving 12 m.p.h. or more over the speed limit in a work zone. Tickets will then be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle within about 10 days.
Any fines collected would be placed in a special “work zone safety account” to be used by the DOT to protect the safety of workers in highway work zones through highway traffic enforcement.
Archer told the committee a new bill might make motorists pay more attention to what’s going on around them and less attention to their cell phones.
“We workers deserve to be protected and respected for the work we do. We should not have to fear for our lives each day we go to work,” Archer said.
Archer said “everybody loves us when it’s snowing out but we are an annoyance, slowing the motoring public down the rest of time.”
“We have had workers killed on the side of the road,” Archer said. “It just has to stop.”
Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, shared a story about having a blowout driving home from the state Capitol a few years ago. Just getting his car to the side of the road to change the flat was a harrowing experience, he said.
Several states, including Pennsylvania, Washington, Illinois and Maryland have passed similar legislation.
DOT Commissioner Joseph Giulietti expressed strong support for the intent of the bill in his written testimony. He said during the 2019 construction season, the DOT recorded 1,045 accidents within its work zones involving 2,094 vehicles.
“The majority of these incidents can be directly connected to excessive speed,” Giulietti said.
Also testifying in favor of the bill was Carl Chisem, president of the Connecticut Employees Union Independent, SEIU Local 511, representing over 3,600 state workers.
“The men and women who work for the CT DOT as Transportation Maintainers are in constant danger of being injured or killed by motor vehicles in our maintenance work zones,” Chisem told the committee.
Chisem said since January 1, 2018, data indicates 2,187 crashes occurred in Connecticut work zones. Of that group, there were six motorist fatalities and 647 injuries.
“Keep in mind that not all injuries are reported or recorded,” said Chisem, who added: “Please remember these numbers do not indicate the number of motorists who drive recklessly through work zones without incident. Our members witness these close calls daily and feel that their lives are at constant risk while doing their jobs.”
Chisem implored the Transportation Committee to act. “These workers are not just statistics. They are mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers,” Chisem said. “Their families depend on them to come home at the end of each workday.”
Sen. Carlo Leone, D-Stamford, co-chair of the committee, said members heard the workers’ plea.
Leone referred to the fact that many testifying Friday have “18-wheelers whizzing by you” on a continuing basis.
“That’s your work zone, Leone told the DOT workers. “The need to do something is real and clear.”
Stamford officials call for referendum on school building privatization
State Pier operator notifies occupants it’s time to go
Greg Smith and Julia Bergman
New London — With the offshore wind industry poised to move in, time is running short for the tenants and work crews at State Pier who expect to be displaced as early as next month.
The businesses operating at the pier recently received a March 31 deadline to vacate, leaving some scrambling to find an alternate location to stay afloat.
Negotiations with port operator Gateway for an extension of time appear to be ongoing.
Peter Olsen, the longtime president of the International Longshoremen's Association 1411, which handles cargo at the pier, said Gateway President Jim Dillman notified him by email on Feb. 20 that, as anticipated, Gateway must cease its operations by the end of next month, and that any and all cargo must be removed from the facility by then.
Dillman confirmed to The Day late last year that the longshoremen would be without work at the port at the end of March in preparation for the redevelopment of the pier. No ships will be coming in to New London's deepwater port during the $157 million redevelopment project to transform the pier into a wind turbine staging area for offshore wind developers Ørsted-Eversource.
Construction at the pier is expected to start in early 2021 and be completed by August 2022 but preconstruction work will begin before that.
Matt Satnick, CO/CEO of Enstructure, Gateway's parent company, said discussions are ongoing between the company, the Connecticut Port Authority and Ørsted-Eversource — the parties to the redevelopment agreement — to ensure that Gateway meets its obligations as part of the agreement and the redevelopment timeline, but also to ensure as smooth a transition as possible for its tenants at State Pier.
Satnick said Gateway is sticking with the March 31 deadline, with the caveat that the company is talking with the various tenants to figure out "what needs they have to minimize disruption."
"We want everyone to land on their feet," he said. "We care a lot about the continuity of those relationships."
One thing that's for sure is no ships will come in to the port between now and the end of March. The last ship to come in was on Feb. 16 and was carrying salt.
Olsen said that, given the delay in reaching a final agreement on the redevelopment plan, and because construction isn't supposed to start until early 2021, "we were optimistic that we were going to be able to stay on at least through the summer."
Other tenants were counting on more time and were dismayed by the short notice from Gateway.
There are 45 longshoremen who work at the pier. Of them, eight are full-time employees.
Chris Bachant, president of Carpenters Local 326, said he has been working with Olsen to find employment for the eight full-timers. He said if the carpenters union is involved in the redevelopment of the pier, he can guarantee jobs for them, and maybe for other workers, as well. Dillman said he's also been in discussion with Bachant to try to secure work for the longshoremen.
Some of the part-time longshoremen already have found other work, but most are still looking for jobs, Olsen said.
"The reality is setting in that the end is near," he said, adding that he is working to ensure as many of the longshoremen as possible have a "soft landing."
One of the most visible tenants at State Pier is DRVN Enterprises. The company’s mountain of salt, an estimated 95,000 tons, remains on a portion of the pier property.
DRVN President Steve Farrelly started the business at the pier in 2014 and supplies numerous municipalities and the state with road salt. In a normal winter — when there is snow — he said the pile would have been 80% gone by now.
But it has not been a normal winter and the future of his business could hinge on decisions made in the coming weeks.
Considering it took 10 days to offload, Farrelly said, he will be hard-pressed to move the salt out by the end of March. Even if he could move it out on time, he has yet to find a new location.
“I was hoping there would be an easy resolution, allowing me to more time to do what I have to do,” he said.
He has yet to hear from Gateway about the possibility of keeping the salt where it is until next winter. It is unclear what would happen to the salt should it remain on site after March 31.
“There’s not a lot of places to move and stockpile that kind of tonnage under a cover that’s going to be allowed. Time is against me,” Farrelly said.
His business relies on providing salt at a discounted price, which can only be achieved with access to the pier, he said. It makes for a cloudy future for his business.
“New London was the perfect spot. It did work for six years,” he said.
He said he’s probably brought in about 20 ships to the pier through the years, generated jobs for dozens of trucking companies and support services. He says his entry into the salt market led to dramatic drops in cost per ton to municipalities, one of the reasons he had anticipated more widespread support from local leaders for his plight.
At the adjoining Central Vermont Railroad Pier, part of the State Pier property, commercial scallop fisherman Kevin Debbis of Montville is in a similar predicament.
He surmised his time was limited but said he was caught off guard by the short notice. He’s trying to find a spot for his 55-foot boat, Lynn Marie, which along with at least two other fishing boats has been working off of the pier. He has called the pier home for nearly two decades.
Debbis supplies his fresh catch to a host of local restaurants and fish markets and, prior to being kicked out, said he was in the planning stages of purchasing a second boat.
“We know we have to move but we just don’t know where to go,” he said.
Among options available is space at the pier at Fort Trumbull, operated by New London Seafood, or somewhere along City Pier, an idea Mayor Michael Passero is championing.
Passero has been meeting with the fishermen and contacting state officials about the idea of renovating and turning Fisherman’s Pier, at the south end of Waterfront Park, into a working dock for the fishermen. The move would be in line with his plans to generate more activity on the city’s waterfront.
Passero said he has enlisted engineers for preliminary cost estimates of placing pilings around the pier to allow boats to tie up, something that can’t be done now. It’s not a perfect solution because of the limited shoreside area but he said there are few other options.
Passero said he additionally plans to work with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection so that the plan doesn’t get bogged down in the permitting process.
With all of the delays in the Connecticut Port Authority’s agreement with Ørsted/Eversource, he said there was an assumption port tenants would get more time.
“I don’t know what’s changed,” Passero said. “We thought we were partners with the Connecticut Port Authority. Having the port operator giving 30-day eviction notices is a shock to us at this point.”
“It’s annoying that nobody at the port authority or state has informed the city. And I thought we were working together to relocate the fishermen. It’s still my understanding they will not be required to move until they are accommodated at a new location,” he said.
Officials say Waterbury rail upgrades long overdue
ANDREW LARSON
WATERBURY — Rail boosters hope the newly formed Waterbury Rail Line Caucus will galvanize support for upgrades to the 27-mile rail line between the Brass City and Bridgeport.
Caucus leaders support adding morning and afternoon trips during peak hours and are calling for 30 minutes between departures at each stop during peak hours and 60 minutes during off-peak hours by 2025 — over the current average of a two-and-a-half hours between departures.
The group’s action plan includes new rail stations with amenities, a transfer station in Devon and a study into the possibility of extending the Waterbury line to Torrington.
While the state has in recent years funneled money into the Waterbury branch, advocates say more investment is needed to justify the cost of work that’s already underway.
The state is set to complete a $90 million upgrade that includes new safety features and capacity improvements including passing sidings, Positive Train Control and signalization, by the end of 2021.
Positive Train Control is a safety feature that automatically applies a train’s brakes if the engineer fails to reduce the train’s speed when the limit drops. Signalization will allow trains to communicate.Both are needed before passing sidings, which will allow trains to travel in both directions at that same time on the Waterbury branch, can go into effect in 2022.
LEGISLATORS SAY MORE TRAINS are needed to realize the benefits of these upgrades, which cost closer to $120 million than the original estimate, said Rick Dunne, executive director of the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments.
“We don’t want to see that $120 million wasted, we want to see it capitalized on as much as possible,” Dunne said.
The caucus has proposed the DOT acquire eight dual-powered locomotives and 24 new rail cars — numbers it says are required to meet the long-term service needs. “I know what I envision a world-class railway would look like,” said state Rep. Geraldo Reyes, D-75h District, who was appointed vice chairman of the Waterbury Rail Line Caucus last week. “I think with this bipartisan effort we have in front of us right now, we’ve got a lot of muscle to get this done.”
Longtime state Sen. Joan Hartley, D-15th District, has also joined the caucus.
Hartley has co-sponsored a bill, “An Act Concerning Rail Infrastructure Improvements,” that would require the DOT to report the results of a study and schedule recommending rail infrastructure improvements to the Waterbury branch by Jan. 1, 2021.
Dunne believes an increased focus on the Waterbury line have developers eager to capitalize on demand for housing near the tracks.
“We’re talking about housing for people who can’t afford to live in Fairfield County,” Dunne said.
He also says investing in the line will help expand the benefits of previous investment on the New Haven Main Line. Until recently, most of the state’s investment has been in affluent areas along the shoreline, which carries the most Metro-North train traffic.
“This is a significant equity issue as well,” Dunne said. “I think the legislature has begun to recognize the lack of equity in the investment made so far.”
The DOT has appropriated $250 million for 60 rail cars across the state, but they would not be used on the Waterbury line.
Caucus leaders are asking the DOT to commit to acquiring new rail coaches and locatives for the Waterbury line by 2025 — at a cost of roughly $64 million for four new sets or about $48 million for three sets.
The group also wants to look at leasing trains from other states, which could allow the branch to improve service as soon as signalization is finished.By 2022, we’re ready for additional service, so the planning needs to start now,” said Jim Gildea, chairman of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council.
Gildea believes better service will unlock demand, pointing to a 34% increase in ridership after the state added a new morning peak train in 2009.
ADVOCATES SAY DEMAND FOR RELIABLE RAIN service exists, but that frequent delays, bus substitutions and limited service create disincentives for use.
“First, there’s not a enough coaches, and second, they’re substandard,” Gildea said.
Dave Krechevsky, public policy and economic development director for the Waterbury Regional Chamber, who spoke in favor of the legislation during a hearing Monday, said the Waterbury branch is limited by the fact that only one train can run in each direction until the signalization project is finished.“The reason for low ridership levels is that service on the line is abysmal,” Krechevsky said.
Jack Kramer
HARTFORD, CT — Those who work on Connecticut’s highways made a passionate pitch Friday for a bill that would allow the use of automated traffic enforcement safety devices within maintenance work zones.Distracted driving and total disregard for posted speed limits have made highway work zone maintenance a job more dangerous than ever before, Department of Transportation workers told lawmakers.
“Every single day we are out there we are putting our lives at risk. Our jobs are dangerous,” said Les Archer, a transportation maintainer for the DOT, speaking before the Transportation Committee’s public hearing.
Archer, who has worked for DOT for 24 years, said the issue was so important, he and several of his colleagues took time off from work to come to Hartford to testify in favor of HB 5198, An Act Concerning Maintenance Work Zone Safety Enforcement.
The bill would allow cameras to be placed in work zones where there are no police officers on duty starting next January. The cameras will be used to capture the license plate number of any vehicle driving 12 m.p.h. or more over the speed limit in a work zone. Tickets will then be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle within about 10 days.
Any fines collected would be placed in a special “work zone safety account” to be used by the DOT to protect the safety of workers in highway work zones through highway traffic enforcement.
Archer told the committee a new bill might make motorists pay more attention to what’s going on around them and less attention to their cell phones.
“We workers deserve to be protected and respected for the work we do. We should not have to fear for our lives each day we go to work,” Archer said.
Archer said “everybody loves us when it’s snowing out but we are an annoyance, slowing the motoring public down the rest of time.”
“We have had workers killed on the side of the road,” Archer said. “It just has to stop.”
Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, shared a story about having a blowout driving home from the state Capitol a few years ago. Just getting his car to the side of the road to change the flat was a harrowing experience, he said.
“Thankfully a good samaritan helped me out,” Kissell said, adding that he could not imagine what it would be like working on a wide-open highway “with people on their cell phones, distracted driving, people not paying attention.”
“People have become a little too selfish,” KIssel said. “I’m looking forward to working on this bill.” Several states, including Pennsylvania, Washington, Illinois and Maryland have passed similar legislation.
DOT Commissioner Joseph Giulietti expressed strong support for the intent of the bill in his written testimony. He said during the 2019 construction season, the DOT recorded 1,045 accidents within its work zones involving 2,094 vehicles.
“The majority of these incidents can be directly connected to excessive speed,” Giulietti said.
Also testifying in favor of the bill was Carl Chisem, president of the Connecticut Employees Union Independent, SEIU Local 511, representing over 3,600 state workers.
“The men and women who work for the CT DOT as Transportation Maintainers are in constant danger of being injured or killed by motor vehicles in our maintenance work zones,” Chisem told the committee.
Chisem said since January 1, 2018, data indicates 2,187 crashes occurred in Connecticut work zones. Of that group, there were six motorist fatalities and 647 injuries.
“Keep in mind that not all injuries are reported or recorded,” said Chisem, who added: “Please remember these numbers do not indicate the number of motorists who drive recklessly through work zones without incident. Our members witness these close calls daily and feel that their lives are at constant risk while doing their jobs.”
Chisem implored the Transportation Committee to act. “These workers are not just statistics. They are mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers,” Chisem said. “Their families depend on them to come home at the end of each workday.”
Sen. Carlo Leone, D-Stamford, co-chair of the committee, said members heard the workers’ plea.
Leone referred to the fact that many testifying Friday have “18-wheelers whizzing by you” on a continuing basis.
“That’s your work zone, Leone told the DOT workers. “The need to do something is real and clear.”
Stamford officials call for referendum on school building privatization
State Pier operator notifies occupants it’s time to go
Greg Smith and Julia Bergman
New London — With the offshore wind industry poised to move in, time is running short for the tenants and work crews at State Pier who expect to be displaced as early as next month.
The businesses operating at the pier recently received a March 31 deadline to vacate, leaving some scrambling to find an alternate location to stay afloat.
Negotiations with port operator Gateway for an extension of time appear to be ongoing.
Peter Olsen, the longtime president of the International Longshoremen's Association 1411, which handles cargo at the pier, said Gateway President Jim Dillman notified him by email on Feb. 20 that, as anticipated, Gateway must cease its operations by the end of next month, and that any and all cargo must be removed from the facility by then.
Dillman confirmed to The Day late last year that the longshoremen would be without work at the port at the end of March in preparation for the redevelopment of the pier. No ships will be coming in to New London's deepwater port during the $157 million redevelopment project to transform the pier into a wind turbine staging area for offshore wind developers Ørsted-Eversource.
Construction at the pier is expected to start in early 2021 and be completed by August 2022 but preconstruction work will begin before that.
Matt Satnick, CO/CEO of Enstructure, Gateway's parent company, said discussions are ongoing between the company, the Connecticut Port Authority and Ørsted-Eversource — the parties to the redevelopment agreement — to ensure that Gateway meets its obligations as part of the agreement and the redevelopment timeline, but also to ensure as smooth a transition as possible for its tenants at State Pier.
Satnick said Gateway is sticking with the March 31 deadline, with the caveat that the company is talking with the various tenants to figure out "what needs they have to minimize disruption."
"We want everyone to land on their feet," he said. "We care a lot about the continuity of those relationships."
One thing that's for sure is no ships will come in to the port between now and the end of March. The last ship to come in was on Feb. 16 and was carrying salt.
Olsen said that, given the delay in reaching a final agreement on the redevelopment plan, and because construction isn't supposed to start until early 2021, "we were optimistic that we were going to be able to stay on at least through the summer."
Other tenants were counting on more time and were dismayed by the short notice from Gateway.
There are 45 longshoremen who work at the pier. Of them, eight are full-time employees.
Chris Bachant, president of Carpenters Local 326, said he has been working with Olsen to find employment for the eight full-timers. He said if the carpenters union is involved in the redevelopment of the pier, he can guarantee jobs for them, and maybe for other workers, as well. Dillman said he's also been in discussion with Bachant to try to secure work for the longshoremen.
Some of the part-time longshoremen already have found other work, but most are still looking for jobs, Olsen said.
"The reality is setting in that the end is near," he said, adding that he is working to ensure as many of the longshoremen as possible have a "soft landing."
One of the most visible tenants at State Pier is DRVN Enterprises. The company’s mountain of salt, an estimated 95,000 tons, remains on a portion of the pier property.
DRVN President Steve Farrelly started the business at the pier in 2014 and supplies numerous municipalities and the state with road salt. In a normal winter — when there is snow — he said the pile would have been 80% gone by now.
But it has not been a normal winter and the future of his business could hinge on decisions made in the coming weeks.
Considering it took 10 days to offload, Farrelly said, he will be hard-pressed to move the salt out by the end of March. Even if he could move it out on time, he has yet to find a new location.
“I was hoping there would be an easy resolution, allowing me to more time to do what I have to do,” he said.
He has yet to hear from Gateway about the possibility of keeping the salt where it is until next winter. It is unclear what would happen to the salt should it remain on site after March 31.
“There’s not a lot of places to move and stockpile that kind of tonnage under a cover that’s going to be allowed. Time is against me,” Farrelly said.
His business relies on providing salt at a discounted price, which can only be achieved with access to the pier, he said. It makes for a cloudy future for his business.
“New London was the perfect spot. It did work for six years,” he said.
He said he’s probably brought in about 20 ships to the pier through the years, generated jobs for dozens of trucking companies and support services. He says his entry into the salt market led to dramatic drops in cost per ton to municipalities, one of the reasons he had anticipated more widespread support from local leaders for his plight.
At the adjoining Central Vermont Railroad Pier, part of the State Pier property, commercial scallop fisherman Kevin Debbis of Montville is in a similar predicament.
He surmised his time was limited but said he was caught off guard by the short notice. He’s trying to find a spot for his 55-foot boat, Lynn Marie, which along with at least two other fishing boats has been working off of the pier. He has called the pier home for nearly two decades.
Debbis supplies his fresh catch to a host of local restaurants and fish markets and, prior to being kicked out, said he was in the planning stages of purchasing a second boat.
“We know we have to move but we just don’t know where to go,” he said.
Among options available is space at the pier at Fort Trumbull, operated by New London Seafood, or somewhere along City Pier, an idea Mayor Michael Passero is championing.
Passero has been meeting with the fishermen and contacting state officials about the idea of renovating and turning Fisherman’s Pier, at the south end of Waterfront Park, into a working dock for the fishermen. The move would be in line with his plans to generate more activity on the city’s waterfront.
Passero said he has enlisted engineers for preliminary cost estimates of placing pilings around the pier to allow boats to tie up, something that can’t be done now. It’s not a perfect solution because of the limited shoreside area but he said there are few other options.
Passero said he additionally plans to work with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection so that the plan doesn’t get bogged down in the permitting process.
With all of the delays in the Connecticut Port Authority’s agreement with Ørsted/Eversource, he said there was an assumption port tenants would get more time.
“I don’t know what’s changed,” Passero said. “We thought we were partners with the Connecticut Port Authority. Having the port operator giving 30-day eviction notices is a shock to us at this point.”
“It’s annoying that nobody at the port authority or state has informed the city. And I thought we were working together to relocate the fishermen. It’s still my understanding they will not be required to move until they are accommodated at a new location,” he said.
Officials say Waterbury rail upgrades long overdue
ANDREW LARSON
WATERBURY — Rail boosters hope the newly formed Waterbury Rail Line Caucus will galvanize support for upgrades to the 27-mile rail line between the Brass City and Bridgeport.
Caucus leaders support adding morning and afternoon trips during peak hours and are calling for 30 minutes between departures at each stop during peak hours and 60 minutes during off-peak hours by 2025 — over the current average of a two-and-a-half hours between departures.
The group’s action plan includes new rail stations with amenities, a transfer station in Devon and a study into the possibility of extending the Waterbury line to Torrington.
While the state has in recent years funneled money into the Waterbury branch, advocates say more investment is needed to justify the cost of work that’s already underway.
The state is set to complete a $90 million upgrade that includes new safety features and capacity improvements including passing sidings, Positive Train Control and signalization, by the end of 2021.
Positive Train Control is a safety feature that automatically applies a train’s brakes if the engineer fails to reduce the train’s speed when the limit drops. Signalization will allow trains to communicate.Both are needed before passing sidings, which will allow trains to travel in both directions at that same time on the Waterbury branch, can go into effect in 2022.
LEGISLATORS SAY MORE TRAINS are needed to realize the benefits of these upgrades, which cost closer to $120 million than the original estimate, said Rick Dunne, executive director of the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments.
“We don’t want to see that $120 million wasted, we want to see it capitalized on as much as possible,” Dunne said.
The caucus has proposed the DOT acquire eight dual-powered locomotives and 24 new rail cars — numbers it says are required to meet the long-term service needs. “I know what I envision a world-class railway would look like,” said state Rep. Geraldo Reyes, D-75h District, who was appointed vice chairman of the Waterbury Rail Line Caucus last week. “I think with this bipartisan effort we have in front of us right now, we’ve got a lot of muscle to get this done.”
Longtime state Sen. Joan Hartley, D-15th District, has also joined the caucus.
Hartley has co-sponsored a bill, “An Act Concerning Rail Infrastructure Improvements,” that would require the DOT to report the results of a study and schedule recommending rail infrastructure improvements to the Waterbury branch by Jan. 1, 2021.
Dunne believes an increased focus on the Waterbury line have developers eager to capitalize on demand for housing near the tracks.
“We’re talking about housing for people who can’t afford to live in Fairfield County,” Dunne said.
He also says investing in the line will help expand the benefits of previous investment on the New Haven Main Line. Until recently, most of the state’s investment has been in affluent areas along the shoreline, which carries the most Metro-North train traffic.
“This is a significant equity issue as well,” Dunne said. “I think the legislature has begun to recognize the lack of equity in the investment made so far.”
The DOT has appropriated $250 million for 60 rail cars across the state, but they would not be used on the Waterbury line.
Caucus leaders are asking the DOT to commit to acquiring new rail coaches and locatives for the Waterbury line by 2025 — at a cost of roughly $64 million for four new sets or about $48 million for three sets.
The group also wants to look at leasing trains from other states, which could allow the branch to improve service as soon as signalization is finished.By 2022, we’re ready for additional service, so the planning needs to start now,” said Jim Gildea, chairman of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council.
Gildea believes better service will unlock demand, pointing to a 34% increase in ridership after the state added a new morning peak train in 2009.
ADVOCATES SAY DEMAND FOR RELIABLE RAIN service exists, but that frequent delays, bus substitutions and limited service create disincentives for use.
“First, there’s not a enough coaches, and second, they’re substandard,” Gildea said.
Dave Krechevsky, public policy and economic development director for the Waterbury Regional Chamber, who spoke in favor of the legislation during a hearing Monday, said the Waterbury branch is limited by the fact that only one train can run in each direction until the signalization project is finished.“The reason for low ridership levels is that service on the line is abysmal,” Krechevsky said.