Public Information Meeting On Railroad Station Scheduled For June 20

On June 20, the Department of Transportation will be in Berlin for a public information meeting concerning the Berlin Railroad Station.

The DOT representatives will have display materials outside the chambers for the public to view prior to the meeting. This is part of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Rail Program. The Berlin Railroad Station will be built adjacent to the existing historical station. 

The project proposes a state-of-the-art passenger railroad station that includes two covered high level platforms, 500 feet in length, to allow for level boarding. The project will also include a pedestrian bridge and elevator towers in order to allow safe pedestrian access across the tracks. 

"This will be a significant structure and this meeting will allow the residents to see the plans and what it will look like when it's done," said Berlin Economic Development Director Jim Mahoney. "There are a lot of variables when it comes to this project so this is good information for people to know. It's about trains and that will draw more people than usual because people like trains and they're interested in the train station."

Work is scheduled to begin in 2014 and be complete in 2016. The approximate cost of the project is $22 million and is funded through the Federal Rail Administration with the State of Connecticut matching funds. 

"The DOT has talked about charging for parking when the project is done and the town has already told them that we would hope they won't charge because surrounding businesses my be able to use the parking lot," Mahoney said. "It'san important project because we are hoping it revitalizes the whole corridor on Farmington Ave. We see this going along with the police station and Depot Crossing in hopes of making this a true destination."