Vaibhav Sharma, Staff Photographer

Two rail lines that run through New Haven may soon see service cuts, and train fares could rise across the state.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation has proposed new service cuts to the New Haven and Shore Line East rail lines, along with a fare hike across the state’s railroad system. 

On Sept. 19, the Department of Transportation announced a series of online public hearings soliciting public comments on the new proposals. Benjamin Limmer, chief of the Public Transportation Bureau, said during one of the hearings that the new schedule was designed in coordination with the state’s rail partners, like Amtrak, and was designed to minimize the impact on citizens.

Residents, however, expressed concerns.

“For God’s sake, don’t make me drive to and from New Haven twice a day to get my kid to and from school,” Karen Mains, who spoke at the public hearing, said.

Changes will include removing seven of the 23 trains on the Shore Line East line and instituting a system-wide fare hike of approximately 4.5 percent. The New Haven and Danbury Branch lines would also receive smaller service cuts.

The Shore Line East and New Haven Line service changes are part of a greater set of changes stemming from the June 2023 Connecticut biennial state budget. The budget also provided for a significant expansion of the bus network in Connecticut, including longer operating hours for existing lines and new routes to connect work and commercial hubs.

“These proposals are based directly on customer feedback,” Limmer said of the changes to bus service. “These proposals also reflect incredibly strong ridership levels and increased demand of bus service in our state.”

Limmer emphasized that bus services were expanded in response to high demand and customer feedback.

New London Reps. Christine Conley, the state’s deputy majority leader, and Anthony Nolan made clear their opposition to the Shore Line East service cuts. 

“We are here for our strong non-support or dislike of this plan,” Conley said. “We think cutting the services to Shore Line East will be detrimental to our residents who commute from New Haven to New London and back for work and we think that this cut of almost 25 percent of trains is not beneficial to our growing economy.”

Some residents also expressed concerns that the proposed changes would affect their commute to and from school and work, as well as accessing New York City and visiting family.

Others questioned if cuts to public transit would negatively impact state sustainability goals.

“I hope the department moves forward with a larger budget request to the governor,” Jack Dawson said. “I hope that increased trains and perhaps increases in marketing as well can help the state meet its emissions goals and reduce the environmental impact of more cars on the road to inner cities like New Haven.”

Some residents expressed concerns about the possibly disproportionate effects of service cuts on people with disabilities.

Many commenters also blamed the state legislature for cutting the department’s budget.

“Unfortunately for the Department of Transportation, this edict comes from much higher than you,” Jim Gilday said. “I believe that we need to work with the governor’s office and the legislators who come on here and bemoan the service cuts for a budget that they passed.”

CTrail, the state’s rail operating brand, plans to purchase 60 new Alstom-brand coach cars for $315 million to be used on the Hartford Line by 2026.