Press Releases
12/17/2019
Connecticut Christmas Holiday Travel
In anticipation of increased holiday travel demand, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) announced there will be four extra CTrail Hartford Line trains between New Haven and Hartford on Tuesday, December 24. The additional two round-trip trains will operate five to 10 minutes behind scheduled northbound Amtrak trains and will operate 30 to 40 minutes behind Amtrak southbound trains.
On December 24th, the Hartford Line will operate on a modified Saturday schedule, including the extra trains. On Christmas Day, December 25th, the Hartford Line will operate a regular Sunday schedule. A printable version of the schedule is available at www.hartfordline.com. For December 24, the New Haven Line (Metro-North) and Shore Line East will operate on a modified weekday schedule with extra service. Passengers are encouraged to visit www.mta.info/mnr, www.hartfordline.com and www.shorelineeast.com for the latest schedule information. No additional service is planned for the New Year’s holiday.
During the Christmas Holiday period, many Amtrak trains are expected to be sold-out and will only accept Amtrak tickets. CTrail and U-Pass passengers are advised to use the extra CTrail trains or check the Amtrak website at www.amtrak.com for seat availability. To avoid delays, passengers are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets can be pre-purchased at CTrail and Metro-North ticket vending machines, ticket windows, or on the Amtrak or MTA eTix smartphone apps.
“We had record-breaking demand just a few weeks ago for Thanksgiving,” said Richard Andreski, CTDOT Public Transportation Bureau Chief. “Our rail operators and CTDOT will all be working together to ensure rail travelers have enough options to travel and spend the holidays with their loved ones.”
“I’m delighted that we will be able to provide this supplemental service for our customers, which will have the added benefit of reducing the number of cars on our highways during this busy season,” said CTDOT Commissioner Joe Giulietti. “The key to making public transportation a success is providing clean, safe, reliable, and convenient service, and that’s what we are striving to do this holiday season.”
“Rail travel is the best way to travel over the holiday season,” said Carl Jackson, CTDOT Rail Administrator. “Winter weather doesn’t impact the trains the same way it impacts the highways.”
Information about all rail services in Connecticut is available at www.CTrail.com
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062
FAX: (860) 594-3065
WEB SITE: www.ct.gov/dot