Faster than a Locomotive

A long-coveted, high-speed rail project may be back on track thanks to the Sunshine State.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy saw an opportunity after Florida Gov. Rick Scott turned down $2.4 billion in federal funds for a high-speed rail project. Malloy promptly asked the state Department of Transportation to seek a share of that money so that Connecticut could develop the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield line.

“Since Florida's return of the funding, the federal government has put that money back out on the street for other states to compete for,” said Kevin Nursick, spokesman for Connecticut DOT. “It is our full intention to submit a very competitive application for additional funding, sometime in early April.”

For years the state dreamed of sleek trains traveling between New Haven and Springfield, Mass. But until recently the project was delayed, in part because of the state’s $3.5 billion deficit. The Amtrak's Acela Express, which runs between Boston and Washington, D.C., is the only high-speed rail line currently in the Northeast. Though it can go 150 mph, it usually only achieves half of that.

So far the Nutmeg State has committed $286 million of state funding and $161 million of federal money to modernize and improve 62 miles of track between New Haven and Springfield.

Yet some organizations, such as the South Western Regional Planning Agency, prefer branch line improvements on the New Canaan and Danbury branches of Metro-North Railroad before high speed rail work.

It would cost $34 million to modernize the New Canaan branch signals, allowing construction of a track segment that would allow bi-directional service during peak hours.

SWRPA’s executive director, Floyd Lapp, has said branch line improvements would do more to increase jobs than high speed rail. Not only would improved lines that help business centers in Norwalk, Stamford and Greenwich thrive, they also would enhance property values since people could commute more easily, according to SWRPA.

Another reason SWRPA prefers branch line work to high speed rail is because of current traffic congestion on Route 7. And it will relieve pressure from parking facilities at main line stations like South Norwalk and Westport.

“There's no arguing that improvements can be made to virtually any piece of transportation infrastructure,” Nursick said. “The difference here is that the feds have a specific avenue of funding for a specific type of infrastructure - in this case, high speed rail.  None of the branches are in this category.”

The funding would come from the federal High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail program; it can’t be used for the branch lines. In this case it will be used for the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield line.

Transportation infrastructure is expensive, Nursick said. And it’s among the few places in the proposed 2012 budget Malloy recommended spending. The fiscal crunch means Connecticut must have the flexibility to move on projects when the timing is right, Nursick said.  

“In the case of NHHS, the timing is definitely right, because we have a great opportunity to have the federal government participate and help fund a significant portion of the project,” Nursick said.

And that could free up state money to make the branch improvements, said state Sen. Toni Boucher, a Republican representing Bethel, New Canaan, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, and Wilton in the 26th Senate District.

“Who are we to stand in the way of that?” Boucher said.