(NEW BRITAIN, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto today hosted a ceremony in downtown New Britain attended by a large crowd of state and local officials, transit advocates, small business owners, housing developers, and commuters to celebrate the tenth anniversary of CTfastrak, the state’s first regional bus rapid transit system.
Launched on March 28, 2015, CTfastrak is a system of ten bus routes operated by the Connecticut Department of Transportation that provides direct service to and from Waterbury, Cheshire, Southington, Bristol, Plainville, New Britain, Newington, West Hartford, Hartford, and Manchester, with portions operating on a 9.4-mile dedicated roadway between New Britain and Hartford. It provides a one-seat, no-transfer ride to many regional employment, shopping, and healthcare destinations, as well as to rail service, including the New Haven Line, the Waterbury Branch Line, and the Hartford Line.
Since its launch, CTfastrak has provided more than 28.5 million passenger trips. Today, it averages about 14,000 weekday trips. Among CTfastrak’s routes is Route 101, which is the busiest bus route in the state, serving about 1.1 million passengers annually.
More than $550 million in transit-oriented development projects near CTfastrak stations have been completed, are currently under construction, or are being planned.
In 2024, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy ranked CTfastrak the No. 1 bus rapid transit system in the United States.
“Take one look at any neighborhood that has a CTfastrak station and compare it with how those areas were doing ten years ago and you will note the hundreds of new units of housing and the many new businesses that have established operations in these communities over the last decade,” Governor Lamont said. “CTfastrak’s impact extends beyond providing commuters with convenient public transit. It is revitalizing communities and showing the direct connection between our transportation system and the growth of vibrant communities where people want to live, work, and play.”
The Connecticut Department of Transportation continues to evolve CTfastrak’s service based on customer feedback and changing ridership habits.
“CTfastrak has done more than connect communities — it’s reshaped the state’s economy and set the gold standard in the U.S. for bus rapid transit,” Commissioner Eucalitto said. “This success proves that when government, local leaders, and the private sector collaborate, we can deliver results that help residents and businesses thrive.”
For more information about CTfastrak, visit cttransit.com/services/ctfastrak.