Politics & Government

Malloy Compares MTA Mess to State's Woes

"The band-aid has worn off," Malloy said after a meeting with MTA Pres. Howard Permut.

(Editor’s Note: On Monday, Metro-North introduced a “” on the New Haven line, after weeks of late, crowded and canceled trains. Gov. Dannel Malloy’s office released the following statement after the governor met with Metro-North President Howard Permut on Thursday.)

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today met with Metro-North President Howard Permut to talk more about the disruption in service on Metro-North’s New Haven line, and what can be done going forward. Mr. Permut met with Governor Malloy in his office in Hartford earlier today.

“The fact that Metro-North’s New Haven line is the busiest in the United States offers little solace to the commuters who depend on its service every day,” said Governor Malloy. “The issues we’re experiencing there are illustrative of the problems our state is facing generally – for too long we’ve deferred our problems, and instead, we’ve covered them up with a band-aid until some later date. Well, the band-aid has worn off and there is no later date. The average age of the New Haven railcar fleet is 32 years, versus the average age of other lines’ fleets which is six years – it’s no wonder the New Haven line is having trouble keeping up. And I’m very mindful of the concerns of the commuters who use the Waterbury line, who’ve gotten the short end of the stick over the years.  I’m determined to address their legitimate concerns as quickly as time and resources allow.

Find out what's happening in Westportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Mr. Permut and I had a broad discussion about a capital investment program to get new cars on line as soon as possible. The final stage of testing for the current M8 cars is scheduled to begin shortly, and my bond commission agenda includes funding for the final 38 cars. I’m not pretending this will solve all of our problems – it won’t. But I don’t have the luxury – nor do I have the inclination – to wait around and let someone else deal with this. I asked Mr. Permut for regular updates on the cars currently being repaired, as well as the reduced winter schedule.

“There is no silver bullet, but I am committed to getting the New Haven line back to where it needs to be to serve the people of Connecticut.”

Find out what's happening in Westportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here