The proposed high-speed rail system does not do much for Connecticut. New York and Boston would be the primary beneficiaries. The build-it-and-they-will-come approach has failed. Witness the Dan-Malloy busway.

The track right-of-way in this public-private partnership must be taken by eminent domain. Many lawsuits and never-ending environmental impact studies will follow. We know how well these things worked out in New London and building Route 11.

The Department of Transportation’s rail objectives miss the mark for southeastern Connecticut. Shaving minutes off of the trip to New York for hedge fund managers in Fairfield County or knocking more than an hour off of the New York-Boston trip hardly helps us. Residents want reliable, affordable, and convenient service. The cobbled service of Shoreline East and Metro-North from New York City to New London is hardly effective or convenient. The benefits of having direct service to and from Manhattan are obvious. Fewer cars on Interstate 95 is only part of it. Better access here would increase tourism, raise the real estate market and the economy. People from the area could conveniently go to New Haven and points south. Metro-North trains should run seamlessly from Pawcatuck all the way to New York City.

Clark Pritchett

Waterford