Ximena Solorzano, Staff Photographer

On Sunday, Metro-North began operating a new railroad schedule that includes faster train service between New Haven, Bridgeport and Grand Central. Three new Super Express trains shave off up to 25 minutes of travel time, shortening the full route to about 90 minutes.

The expedited trains will depart from New Haven every weekday morning — at 5:06 a.m., 5:32 a.m. and 7:52 a.m. — and return from Grand Central at 4:16 p.m., 4:49 p.m. and 6:26 p.m.

Commuters taking some rush-hour trains may notice slight adjustments to their departure and arrival times, which the rail line claims will “improve transfer times.” The new times can be found on the online schedule or on the TrainTime app.

The shorter runtimes are due to signaling infrastructure improvements. The Metro-North team also used train-simulation software, GPS and signal data to create more efficient timetables.

“Super Express travelers save as much as 25 minutes each way, 250 minutes each week, and more than nine full days annually to spend with their friends and family,” the new Metro-North President Justin Vonashek said in a press release.

Aaron Combs ’28 commutes to New York City every Friday to work in-person at a small startup company.

In just the spring semester so far, he has taken a round-trip to NYC nearly a dozen times. This week, he will be making the trip three more times — one for work and two more times for leisure.

“Are you serious? That’s so nice,” Combs said when he heard about the improved run times. 

The updated schedule will be a game-changer for Combs, he said. 

Before, the only 90-minute train down to NYC was at 5:06 a.m. On Friday mornings, he would wake up at 4 a.m. after only having slept a few hours. Once he arrived at Grand Central at 6:38 a.m., he would wait around for a bagel shop to open at 7 a.m. before heading to work at 9 a.m.

But the changes mean that the 5:32 a.m. Super Express train, arriving at 7:02 with a 90-minute run time, is now another viable option for him.

“That is honestly a big deal, because it’s still the weekday,” Combs said. “What it also means is that if I want to get up earlier I can, if I need the flexibility.”

But for some, the schedule changes are either not noticeable or have disrupted their familiar journeys to work. 

Monique Horn, a commuter from Wallingford to Grand Central, told the News that her transfer time at Union Station is now longer because of the changes. 

Tajrian Khan ’27, who day-trips to NYC every other weekend, believes the changes will not affect him or other “leisurely travelers.” He currently finds the rides to and from Grand Central frequent and efficient, but he wouldn’t mind if Metro-North expanded their number of Super Express trains.

Both Combs and Khan expressed support for a Yale partnership with Metro-North to provide discounted rates for students, citing barriers in traveling to and working in NYC for lower-income students.

While Combs’ commute back from Grand Central counts as off-peak and costs $18.25,  his early morning ride is during peak hours and drains $24.50 from his wallet.

“Institutionally, Yale would really benefit to push more accessibility to New York,” Combs said, citing the city’s startup environment as well as arts and culture scenes.

Combs and Khan said that they partly chose Yale for its proximity to NYC. Combs hopes that these new changes will encourage more Yalies to travel to the city and even consider working there during the school year. 

The Metro-North railroad began operations in 1983.