CTDOT Announces Public Hearings on Proposed Fare and Service Changes for Bus and Rail

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) today announced a series of four public hearings to gather input on the proposed rail and bus service changes, as well as proposed rail fare increases. The biennial state budget adopted earlier this year included a funding increase for CTtransit bus service in Connecticut and a funding reduction for Metro-North Railroad (MNR) and CTrail Shore Line East (SLE) passenger rail service, to align with current commuting habits more closely.

Proposed bus service changes include:

• One proposed new route in the CTtransit Hartford Division.
• Two proposed new routes in the CTtransit New Haven Division and proposed improvements to service frequencies on two CTfastrak routes.
• Additional changes proposed to eight routes in the CTtransit Hartford Division to better align with ridership demand and promote efficiency, such as decreased service frequency, route restructuring, and route elimination with replacement service.

The state budget included significant investments for additional bus service improvements across the state, such as new Sunday service in Meriden. Those changes do not meet the threshold for a service equity analysis and thus not included but can found by clicking on this link.

Proposed rail service changes include:

• Decreased Monday through Thursday service on the New Haven Line from 239 trains to 237 trains.
• Decreased Friday service on the New Haven Line from 241 trains to 233 trains.
• Decreased weekday service on the New Canaan Line from 41 trains to 39 trains.
• Decreased weekday service on the Danbury Line from 28 trains to 26 trains.

The proposed schedule changes for Shore Line East would not take effect until after the Amtrak Fitter Interlocking Project is completed and it differs from the construction schedule that took effect on September 5, 2023.

• Decreased weekday service on Shore Line East from 23 trains to 16 trains.
• Proposed Shore Line East Train 1640 will depart 5:45 p.m. eastbound from New Haven, eliminating a three-hour gap.

Proposed rail fare changes include:

An increase for Metro-North fares in Connecticut, Shore Line East fares, and Hartford Line fares, excluding monthly school passes. Metro-North fares in Connecticut have not increased since January 2018, while Shore Line East fares have not increased since 2016. Hartford Line fares have not been adjusted since the launch of the service.

Full details on the proposed service and fare changes are available at ct.gov/dot/proposedtransitchanges.

“Commuting habits continue evolving following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and these proposed changes reflect this ‘new normal’ by prioritizing morning and evening peak train service and introducing bus service changes to meet a new demand,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Bureau Chief of Public Transportation Benjamin Limmer. “I encourage members of the public to attend one of the hearings and offer their comments and feedback on these proposals. Public input is critically important and helps ensure we deliver a safe, accessible public transportation system in Connecticut.”

At these hearings, CTDOT will provide information and accept public comments on the service and fare proposals and the Service and Fare Equity (SAFE) analysis. The SAFE analysis evaluates the proposed changes to determine if they will cause a disparate impact on people of color or a disproportionate burden to people with low incomes.

The public hearings will be conducted in person in Hartford and New Haven and virtually online via Zoom. The in-person hearings include an open house during which staff will be available for questions and answers. The public hearing will begin after the open house.

The complete proposed service and fare changes are available at ct.gov/dot/proposedtransitchanges. The public comment period is open from today, Monday, September 18, through Friday, October 6, 2023. The virtual meetings will be recorded and saved on the CTDOT YouTube Channel at youtube.com/@ctdotofficial.

Registration is encouraged for the virtual public hearings; however, it is only required for those who would like to provide a comment during the hearing. To register, please visit ct.gov/dot/proposedtransitchanges or call (860) 594-3612 and leave a voicemail with your full name and contact information. Registration will be accepted up to the day of the hearing and will remain open for the duration of the hearings.

Individuals with limited internet access can listen to the meeting by calling (833) 548-0282 and entering the Webinar ID. Persons with hearing or speech disabilities may dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS). Persons with limited internet access may also request that project information be mailed to them within one week by contacting (860) 594-3612 or dot.proposedtransitchanges@ct.gov.

Language assistance may be requested by contacting the CTDOT Language Assistance Call Line at (860) 594-2109. Requests should be made at least five business days prior to the meeting. Language assistance is provided at no cost to the public, and efforts will be made to respond to timely requests for assistance. Closed captioning, including in non-English language, will be available on Zoom.

For more information on the proposed changes and how to attend the public hearings, provide comments, and access the SAFE analysis document, please visit ct.gov/dot/proposedtransitchanges.

CTDOT encourages all members of the public to participate in one or more of the scheduled public hearings and submit comments. Members of the public may submit comments by emailing dot.proposedtransitchanges@ct.gov, or by calling (860) 597-8226. Written comments may also be submitted to:

COMMENT ON PROPOSED FARE AND SERVICE CHANGES

Connecticut Department of Transportation

Bureau of Public Transportation

P.O. Box 317546

Newington, CT 06131-7546

CTDOT will consider all comments received during the public hearing and public comment process when approving the final service and fare proposal(s).

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