Sen. Blumenthal says 'no' to high-speed rail bypassing Connecticut

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said a passenger-rail bill passed last week by the House that contained a measure calling for a study of a future Northeast Corridor high-speed rail system is "a nonstarter" because it would leave Connecticut without stops on the system.

The bill to reauthorize Amtrak's funding called on Amtrak to conduct research on high-speed rail service between Washington, D.C., and Boston. The study would look at a service that passes through Connecticut without stopping.
 
"I will strongly and steadfastly oppose any proposal for high-speed rail that uses Connecticut tracks but bypasses Connecticut stations," Blumenthal said in a prepared statement. "The New Haven Line is the busiest rail line in America for a reason — Connecticut residents demand and depend on robust rail service."

In remarks to the Hartford Courant newspaper, Blumenthal said he understood the need to limit stops on a high-speed system to maintain the speed. However, he also said that bypassing Connecticut would hurt Amtrak as well as the state, he said.