By Kimberly Drelich

Day Stff Writer

Shore Line East rail service will see a further reduction in funding from its level before the COVID-19 pandemic, which a rail advocacy group called a “devastating cut.”

The commuter rail service has stops from New London to New Haven.

Josh Morgan, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said funding for Shore Line East, which currently is being funded at 66% of its pre-pandemic service level, will decrease in the state budget for the upcoming fiscal year to 44% of its pre-pandemic service level.

“In my opinion, this is a devastating cut for the Shore Line East that comes at a critical time that will impact not only the commuters but the local economies of every community that that train line runs through,” said Jim Gildea, chairman of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council.

The governor’s office said in a news release that funding in the budget for Shore Line East exceeds its current usage.

Ridership on Shore Line East is at about 30% of its pre-pandemic level, Morgan said.

The DOT said annual ridership was 660,477 in 2019, and 190,278 in 2022, according to Amtrak, Shore Line East’s provider. In fiscal year 2023, the state subsidy is about $131.87 per passenger on Shore Line East.

The DOT is working with Amtrak on potential schedule changes and will need to hold public hearings on any service changes, Morgan said. The hearings would be held over the summer, with any changes going into effect in the fall.

But Gildea said a fundamental rule in public transportation is that more frequent service builds ridership.

State Rep. Christine Conley, D-Groton, said she fundamentally disagrees with the reductions to Shore Line East funding.

Conley said cutting funding to Shore Line East, instead of increasing it, only encourages a cycle where people ride the train less. She said if there were more trains, people would take advantage of Shore Line East more.

State Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, who said a coalition of legislators from both sides of the aisle pushed for more funding for Shore Line East, called the reduction “very disappointing.” She also said it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy: When service is cut, fewer people ride the train.

However, she said, one bright spot is that the budget allows for a competitive bidding process for the operator of Shore Line East, so a new provider could come back with a proposal to offer better service at a lower cost.

Meanwhile, the state is studying the feasibility of expanding Shore Line East, including adding new stations and extending it into Rhode Island.

State Rep. Aundré Bumgardner, D-Groton, pointed out that many commuters in Mystic have clamored for years to extend Shore Line East to Mystic so they could commute to New Haven or New York on the rail line.

He said he thinks the issue with ridership is that the trains don’t stop in communities that could inevitably increase ridership, such as Groton, Mystic, Stonington and Westerly.

Bumgardner said there is a gap in commuter rail service in southeastern Connecticut, which he said is one of the fastest-growing economies in the state.