CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
NEWS RELEASE
2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546
NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT, 06131-7546
FOR RELEASE: April 22, 2016
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062
FAX: (860) 594-3065
WEB SITE: www.ct.gov/dot

Temporary Train Boarding Platform to Open April 25 in Berlin

      The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is announcing that a temporary boarding platform will be established at the site of the Berlin train station beginning April 25, while a new station is built at the existing location at 51 Depot Road.  The existing station and platform will close for renovations as part of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) Rail Program. The temporary facility will include a drop-off area, low-level passenger loading platform and bus shelter located at the south end of the existing station. Travelers may purchase tickets on the train. 

      The temporary platform will remain in service until construction of the new CTrail Hartford Line Berlin Station is completed in the spring 2017.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

      The nearly $60 million station construction project, which began in 2014, includes new stations in Wallingford, Meriden and Berlin. These stations will provide approximately 500-foot long, high-level platforms interconnected with a pedestrian bridge.  The bridge will house elevators to provide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access.  The project also provides canopies over nearly half the length of the platforms and incorporates a hydronic heating system in the platforms to address snow removal.  More than 200 parking spaces will be provided on surface parking lots at Berlin and Wallingford.  Parking at the Meriden station will be provided in a surface lot and a parking garage with a total of over 280 spaces.

      When required, local detours will be established on Depot Road. Construction signs will be posted for local residents and businesses.

      The CTrail Hartford Line 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 and regional trains to a total of 17 round trip trains per day to Hartford, and 12 trains per day to Springfield.  The majority of the existing rail stations will be replaced and several new stations will be built.  The expanded service and new stations are expected to increase ridership, improve the high-speed and passenger rail system serving the northeast, expand intermodal transportation options, encourage economic development and create more livable and sustainable communities. CTrail Hartford Line service is scheduled to launch in January 2018.