CTrail eTix

Introducing Connecticut's electronic ticketing app for Hartford Line and Shore Line East rail services. Now available in the Apple App store and Google Play. These FAQs are also available in an Adobe Acrobat PDF version.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is CTrail eTix?
CTrail eTix is CTDOT's mobile ticketing application for Android and Apple mobile devices. When downloading CTrail eTix to your mobile device and using it to purchase tickets, please be advised that you may incur mobile carrier charges for data usage. CTDOT is not responsible for any mobile carrier data charges.

What train service tickets can I purchase with CTrail eTix?
Tickets for CTrail service, including Shore Line East (SLE) and Hartford Line (HFD) trains, and connecting travel onto New Haven Line trains operated by Metro-North are available for purchase. Fares for travel between New Haven Line stations in isolation, without a CTrail HFD or SLE connection, are not available for purchase with CTrail eTix, and must be purchased from Metro-North onboard or using a Metro-North ticket machine, ticket window, Mail and Ride, or the MTA eTix® app.

Is CTtransit Plus Bus Fare available for purchase in CTrail eTix ?
Customers purchasing a CTrail Shore Line East or Hartford Line service monthly train fare have the option to additionally purchase a CTtransit Monthly (Local) Plus Bus add-on fare for travel on CTtransit local buses in the New Haven, Hartford, New Britain/Bristol, Meriden and Wallingford areas only. To use the CTtransit Plus Bus add-on, present your monthly mobile ticket for visual inspection by CTtransit bus operators upon boarding.

Can I pay for station parking using CTrail eTix?
Daily parking at Berlin and Wallingford stations is currently available for purchase using CTrail eTix. Be sure to note your space number upon parking. You may purchase parking at these locations either independently or in conjunction with a rail ticket purchase.

Where can I find my mobile tickets in my CTrail eTix account?
Purchased tickets and the number of tickets remaining are viewable in the “Use Tickets” screen in CTrail eTix.

How do I use CTrail eTix to purchase a ticket?
Once installed on your device, open CTrail eTix  and create an account using your email address. After you have confirmed the account by email and logged-in to your account, select your origin and destination stations, the ticket type(s) and quantity you wish to purchase, enter your credit/debit card payment information, and confirm the transaction. The purchased tickets will be loaded into your CTrail eTix account available for use, and a receipt will automatically be sent to the email address on your account. Please note that your smartphone must be connected to Internet service in order to complete a purchase. Purchased tickets are stored in your CTrail eTix account, such that your smartphone need not be connected to the Internet to use your mobile tickets.   

What payment types are accepted by CTrail eTix?
You can purchase CTrail eTix tickets using your major credit or debit card. CTrail eTix currently accepts Visa®, Mastercard®, Discover®, and American Express® cards.  Apple Pay® in CTrail eTix is under development and will be available in a later release.

Will CTrail eTix store my credit card information?
Yes, only at your election and for the purpose of simplifying your future purchases. After completing a purchase, you will be prompted to store card details. If you elect, your card details are tokenised and stored within the secure PCI DSS v3-2 Level 1 compliant environment of the payment processor, Global Payments.  Next time you make a  purchase, you can pay by selecting the stored card, with no need to re-enter your card details. By selecting Manage Cards under the CTrail eTix dropdown menu, you can see the cards that are stored and can easily remove a card.

My employer offers a pre-tax commuter benefits program, which I use to purchase my rail fares. Can I use pre-tax funds with CTrail eTix mobile ticketing?
Yes, you can purchase CTrail eTix provided under your employer’s program if you are issued a stored-value card that works like a credit card for your use when making transit purchases.

How do I use my CTrail eTix mobile ticket?
All purchased CTrail eTix mobile tickets (both active and recently expired tickets) will be loaded into your account under the “Use Tickets” screen. When signed into CTrail eTix, select “Use Tickets”, click on the applicable ticket, and then select the “Activate” button. Once activated, mobile tickets expire after 180 minutes, so plan accordingly. It is important to activate your CTrail eTix ticket just before boarding the train. Please have CTrail eTix mobile ticket(s) activated and ready to show on your smartphone to the train conductor onboard the train.

How do train conductors inspect and validate my mobile ticket?
Initially, train conductors will be validating CTrail eTix mobile tickets visually from your device’s screen. You will need to show the screen with dynamic colors so please ensure that your device is sufficiently charged to avoid low-power mode.  Train conductors cannot accept tickets that display in grayscale or in any manner other than the recognized format. Please have your device ready to display your mobile ticket(s) for validation as the conductor comes through the train. Eventually, CTrail will deploy electronic ticket scanning, whereby conductors will scan mobile tickets, as well as printed tickets, with a handheld scanning device.  This initiative is under development.

Why does the CTrail eTix app ask to access the camera on my device?
CTrail eTix requests access to your device's camera to generate dynamic images within your mobile tickets. Your activated ticket displays a live image from your device's camera to ensure the ticket being displayed is valid and activated.

Do I need to activate my monthly or weekly mobile ticket each time I travel?
No, you do not need to activate a weekly or monthly CTrail eTix mobile ticket each time it is used. Once activated on the start of their validity period, monthly and weekly CTrail eTix tickets will remain in an active status until reaching the expiration date. Simply show the activated CTrail eTix ticket on your screen to the conductor each time onboard the train.

When I transfer from one train to another, how do I use my CTrail eTix ticket?
When you purchase a ticket with station pairs on different rail lines (HFD Line, SLE or New Haven Line (Metro-North)), as these rail services have different operators and crew, you will need to activate and display your CTrail eTix on each train.  For One Way and Ten Trip tickets, CTrail eTix generates separate mobile tickets for each segment of your connecting service travel (e.g. one mobile ticket for Clinton to New Haven, and one mobile ticket for New Haven to Stamford connecting service). For weekly or monthly tickets, CTrail eTix generates a single mobile ticket for use during the applicable validity period, which will show the origin and destination station pair, without the New Haven transfer point noted on the ticket.  You will still have to display your weekly or monthly mobile ticket on each train, but the conductor will inspect/validate the same mobile ticket.

If I am traveling with others, can I purchase and use more than one mobile ticket on my smartphone?
Yes, you may purchase and store multiple mobile tickets in your CTrail eTix account to use for others in your party. On the activation screen, you may choose to activate multiple mobile tickets, for travel on the same segment and of the same fare type, and then show them all successively to the train conductor by swiping across your smartphone screen over the ticket name (at the top of the ticket)), for those traveling with you. Please note that CTrail ticketing policies apply and will be enforced by the train conductor. For instance, each Ten-Trip Ticket is for individual use and not transferable to others. Note:  You cannot purchase more than one Weekly or Monthly ticket of the same fare type and for the same segment of travel within your CTrail eTix account.  In those instances, each Monthly or Weekly ticket holder must have his/her own individual CTrail eTix account.  

My mobile ticket was activated by mistake. Can I deactivate it?
No, CTrail eTix tickets cannot be deactivated. This is why it is important to activate your ticket upon boarding the train.

Do mobile tickets expire?  
Yes, every CTrail ticket, whether purchased as a mobile ticket from CTrail eTix or a printed ticket from a CTrail Ticket Vending Machine, has a predetermined validity period. This period is based on time of purchase and CTrail Refund Guidelines. After the applicable validity period, a CTrail ticket can no longer be activated and used for travel. Upon activation of a CTrail eTix mobile ticket, it must be used for travel within 180 minutes, after which time it automatically expires and is not available in CTrail eTix to show to a conductor. CTrail eTix mobile tickets not used within their validity period, that expire within 180 minutes allowed for use, or that are scanned as part of the conductor’s electronic validation process (when in effect), will appear in your CTrail eTix account as recently expired and will not be valid for travel or refund.

If I do not use my mobile ticket, can I receive a refund?
Up until 11:59 PM Eastern time of the calendar day of purchase of a mobile ticket that has not been activated for use, you may initiate a refund through CTrail eTix to receive a full refund. Please be advised that once you activate mobile tickets in your CTrail eTix account, you are not eligible for refund. Other requests for refund of non-activated mobile tickets still within their validity period are subject to the CTrail Ticket Refund Guidelines at the discretion of CTrail customer service. 

How do I refund a mobile ticket?
You can initiate a same-day refund of a mobile ticket that has not been activated from the “Use Ticket” screen in CTrail eTix by selecting the mobile ticket, clicking the red “Refund” button, and then confirming the refund. Please note, if the red “Refund” button is not displayed, the selected mobile ticket is not eligible for refund via CTrail eTix. A receipt for your refund will automatically be sent to the email address associated with your account, and the funds will be returned to the credit/debit card used to purchase the ticket. If you need help with a refund, please contact CTrides Customer Service between 8 AM and 5 PM by phone, text or chat: https://ctrides.com/contact-us.

What happens if my device’s battery dies before I show the train conductor my mobile ticket?
You are responsible for keeping your device charged while riding the train, and outlets for charging are not available on all equipment in service. If your device’s battery is low or dead, you will not be able to properly display a ticket on board for the duration of your travel, and you will need to purchase a ticket from alternate means, either on-board (subject to higher fare) where available or from a CTrail Ticket Vending Machine before boarding the train.

What happens if I lose my mobile device or get a new device?
If you lose the mobile device upon which you had CTrail eTix installed or purchase a new device, your CTrail eTix account remains active and all tickets are stored in your account remain available (during their respective validity periods) for use from your new device once CTrail eTix is downloaded to it.  

If I lose cellular service while riding the train, will my mobile ticket still work?
If you lose cellular connectivity to your smartphone after boarding the train, you will still be able to activate and display mobile tickets stored in your CTrail eTix account. Because Internet service to your device is required to complete a purchase of CTrail eTix, it is important to purchase your mobile tickets in advance of boarding the train, as cellular service on-board the train may not be available or reliable.

What if I am having technical problems with CTrail eTix?
If you encounter any technical problems or errors, please call Customer Service at 1-877-287-4337.