Upon arrival in the dark on Saturday at New London to get the train to New York City, I found both of the entrances to the Water Street parking garage closed. I drove to Old Saybrook, parked and got my ticket. The agent said I should move my car from the AMTRAK lot to the Shoreline East one. I made the train with minutes to spare, transferred to Metro-North at New Haven and arrived at Grand Central on time. The trains made 22 stops as the cars on I-95 zoomed by (planning my next trip by car). On the return at New Haven, the Shoreline East train was waiting but passengers had to stand in the cold for at least twenty minutes before the doors were opened.

Connecticut needs reliable, convenient, integrated, accessible, people-friendly train service, not cobbled together, piecemeal, poorly coordinated railroads. Passenger traffic is subsidized by the State or Federal Governments and should not be in conflict but be a coordinated system. Ultimately Connecticut lines should connect to those in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York. This would open up the (relatively) inexpensive shoreline real estate in Southeast Connecticut to a much bigger market. A little vision and bigger picture approach please.

Clark Pritchett

Waterford