By now hopefully everyone has heard that the Metro North New Haven Line is one step closer to receiving brand new trains, something that is long overdue. On Thursday Governor Rell unveiled the first two M-8 rail cars at Union Station in New Haven. The arrival of these news cars is very welcomed news. In 2005 the governor backed a plan to replace the 342 car fleet as part of a $1 billion dollar transportation initiative.
The state entered into a contract with Kawasaki Rail Car to purchase 300 cars for about $2 million per car for a total cost of about $700 million. The price per car was successfully reduced from $2.5 million. Kawasaki won the contract for the cars through a bid.
The only bad news for some is that these news cars are being financed through fare hikes. A 1.25% fare hike will go into place next year, followed by a 1% hike each year after that for 6 years. Hikes will go into effect in January of each year. These cars have to be financed somehow and even though the cost of the Metro North is high these hikes are not outrageous and will successfully help make the region more competitive economically and improve service and comfort on an extremely busy line that directly connects Connecticut with New York City. Personally, I do not mind paying a little extra for more reliable and efficient public transportation network. As New York City and the MTA face another doomsday budget debacle I have stated that I would prefer a minor fare increase over massive service cuts to maintain the current fare.
To make up for the current budget deficit the MTA has discussed fare hikes on Metro North trains including those on the New Haven Line. Governor Rell is against this and stated that CT has continually financed its line, not cut financing for its line, and all fare hikes have to be approved by CTDOT in the first place. I am not sure how these proposed hikes fit into hikes directly from the state of CT to pay for the new cars.
While it does not pay to dwell on the past I must emphasize to any naysayers that these new cars are long overdue. Anyone who has rode the Metro North into Grand Central has surely seen the new cars that run on other Metro North lines. There are times when these trains are not even filled at rush when New Haven line trains run at near full occupancy throughout much of the afternoon and evening rush. Many might also remember how in 2004 there were 100 trains that were put out of commission in 1 week due to problems related to the bitterly cold weather. The result was massive delays and service cuts.
These trains will help solidify the connection Connecticut has with New York City. It will also help solidify connections between the major cities of Bridgeport, Stamford, and New Haven. Right now, the Metro North is the strongest connection Connecticut has with New York City and we must invest in public transportation to maintain that connection. The next step of course is for improved rail service between New Haven, Hartford, and Springfield.
The only downside in my opinion is that commuters will not see these new trains until Fall, 2010 because the new M-8 cars can only be run with each other and must first be tested before they are put into service. The old cars will be used for expanded service on Shoreline East Railroad and branch lines, which is also great news.
It is said that these new cars are among the most advanced in North America and probably the world and run at top speeds of 100MPH. The New Haven line will be the only railroad in the world operating on this system. And while these speeds does not come close to the speeds of high speed rail in Europe it is a great start. Its also great to have that start right here in Connecticut.
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