Commuter Rail: Is Connecticut on the Right Track?

Abstract

Connecticut is eyeing upgrades to the long-haul passenger rail line running between New Haven and Springfield, MA, that could extend commuter service to central Connecticut. Ideally, better service would shorten the trips to New Haven and Fairfield counties and to New York, reduce congestion on interstate highways, and attract businesses to the Hartford-Springfield corridor. but analysis of the existing railway network—Metro-North, Amtrak and Shore line East—suggests that if a new commuter line were to yield significant pecuniary benefits, they would largely be confined to towns where the trains stop and would diminish with distance from New York City.