End excuses, expand rail service

Drivers won't be getting out of their cars and climbing aboard trains until they are convinced that passenger rail service is convenient, affordable and dependable.

It's that simple.

The 55,000 daily riders on Metro-North's New Haven line to Grand Central Station wouldn't be taking the train into the city each day if it only ran sporadically. They take it because they know trains run between New Haven and New York City from 4 a.m. to midnight weekdays and even later than that on weekends.

Southeastern Connecticut isn't looking for that many trains, but it would like to see expanded Shore Line East Service commensurate to what currently runs between Old Saybrook and New Haven: 23 daily weekday trains and 16 daily weekend and holiday trains, according to a state Department of Transportation report.

But it's lip service, not train service, that rail enthusiasts in the southeast corner of the state have been getting ever since the state committed in 2006 to expand passenger rail to the New London hub.

A Jan. 1, 2007, DOT report concluded: "SLE is a viable alternative to relieving increased congestion along the I-95 corridor and increasing mobility in the region."

That June the General Assembly set as a priority the purchase of equipment and facilities to support Shore Line East commuter-rail growth and implement the report's recommendation of "New London daily service expansion," described as "156 total trains per week to/from New London."

Despite promises from Gov. M. Jodi Rell that more trains would be coming to New London, the state has repeatedly pushed the arrival date back. In February, DOT Commissioner Joseph Marie said more trains would eventually come to New London, but far fewer than the number running from Old Saybrook.

The DOT has blamed scheduling issues concerning the moveable bridges over southeastern Connecticut waterways and the ongoing work by Amtrak, which owns the rails from New Haven to the Rhode Island line.

This week the DOT contended Amtrak ownership makes it "difficult to add any service to that corridor," suggesting New London service cannot grow.

Nonsense. The state of Connecticut owns the tracks from the New York state line to New Haven and Amtrak runs over them. Certainly a reciprocal agreement for state rail to run on Amtrak's rails at this end of the state is achievable.

The state needs to live up to its promises and extend Shore Line East service to New London.