Connecticut DOT kicks off New Haven Line upgrade project

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) held a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday for TIME-1, the largest component of TIME FOR CT, a multiyear initiative to rebuild, improve and expand Connecticut's rail network.

The three-phase, $1.6 billion TIME-1 project will modernize critical sections of the New Haven Line to enable faster, more frequent and reliable rail service between New Haven and New York City, CTDOT officials said in a press release. Amtrak and MTA Metro-North Railroad trains carry about 100,000 passengers on the New Haven Line each weekday; it is the busiest individual commuter-rail line in the country, they added. It also carries freight traffic.

Upon completion of all three TIME-1 phases in 2035, trains will be able to operate at speeds up to 90 mph in designated sections of the corridor, an improvement from today's 70-mph speed limit. The upgrades will also improve the sections of track to Federal Rail Administration Track Class 6 standards, up from Track Class 4.

Phase one of the TIME-1 project focuses on a 3-mile section of track between Bridgeport and Stratford. Crews are installing new catenary structures, adding turnouts to the East Bridgeport Rail Yard, replacing the Longbrook Avenue Bridge in Stratford, upgrading track and signal infrastructure and adding new track connections.

Funding for the $340.7 million phase-one project is three pronged: The FRA contributed $184 million, the state of Connecticut contributed $145.5 million and Amtrak contributed $11.2 million.

The second phase, expected to start in 2030, includes track and platform upgrades at Stratford Station, as well as accessibility improvements, enhanced passenger communications systems and modernized electrical infrastructure. Work will continue on catenary upgrades, bridge replacements and retaining wall installations. The third phase is slated for 2031 and calls for additional bridge replacements, catenary upgrades and infrastructure improvements, CTDOT officials said.

Combined, the second and third phases are anticipated to cost $1.3 billion. Connecticut government officials continue to pursue federal and partner funding to advance the full TIME-1 project, they added.