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Hartford Line Improvement Program

The Hartford Line Rail Program will provide significant new regional passenger rail service options as a key component of a robust and vibrant multi-modal regional transportation system.

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About the Program

This rail program, formerly known as the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Rail Program, represents a broad partnership between the State of Connecticut, Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration, as well as the states of Massachusetts and Vermont. The goal is ambitious – to provide those living, working or traveling between New Haven, Hartford, and Springfield with passenger rail service.

The service, called the CTrail Hartford Line (Hartford Line) connects with existing Metro-North commuter rail, Shore Line East and Amtrak Acela high-speed rail services on the New Haven Line to New York and on the Northeast Corridor to New London and Boston. With this level of direct and connecting service linking the region, towns along the Hartford Line are magnets for growth – ideal places to live and to relocate businesses that depend on regional markets and travel.

Introducing the Hartford Line

Trains serving Vermont (and eventually Montreal), and trains operating to and from Boston on the Inland Route via Springfield, must travel north of New Haven on the Hartford Line rail corridor. As a result, this rail line serves as the passenger rail gateway to New England. Implementation of the Hartford Line Rail Program is a necessary pre-condition for plans by both Vermont and Massachusetts to substantially increase passenger rail service in New England.

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Program Updates

Public information meeting

Public Information Meeting October 22, 2025

The purpose of this meeting is to provide the community with an opportunity to learn about the proposed project and allow and open discussion of any views and comments concerning the proposed improvements.

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Public Comment Period

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) announces the opening of the public comment period for the Draft Memorandum of Agreement regarding Connecticut State Project Hartford Line Rail Program Phase 3B Double Track Project. 

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Presentation and Meeting Minutes Available

View the presentation and meeting minutes from the project's Public Information Meeting at Windsor Locks Town Hall on Thursday, May 29, 2025.