CT Seeks $10 Billion Investment Funding For Faster Railways

CONNECTICUT — Governor Ned Lamont has a plan to improve the speed, capacity and reliability of the state's railways, but needs a source of funding.

The governor and Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti announced TIME FOR CT on Monday. The price tag is in the neighborhood of $8-10 billion, according to a news release from the governor's office.

The DOT will be looking to Amtrak, Metro-North, the labor and construction industry, the Federal Railroad Administration, and state and federal legislators to move the program forward. Total partnership is essential to realize the vision of new, faster, train service to both Grand Central Station and Penn Station, Lamont said.

The ambitious project calls for commuters to save 10 minutes of travel time by 2022 and reduce travel time by 25 minutes by 2035. The improvement program would Generate an estimated 45,000 direct construction jobs over 15 years and use existing assets and stay within existing right-of-way, according to Giulietti.

"Connecticut is home to the most used commuter rail line in the country, and it is a key component of our economic growth, supporting the ability of thousands of people every day to get to their jobs and earn a living," Lamont said. “But our aging infrastructure is not only slowing our travels, it’s slowing our economic growth. Nobody wants to live and work in a place where they spend hours stuck in their daily commutes."