Amtrak, Connecticut officials discuss state's rail future

Amtrak President and CEO Stephen Gardner last week met with Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti to discuss the state’s partnership with the railroad and proposals to advance rail infrastructure.

During the meeting, Lamont reinforced that now is the time to invest in rail infrastructure and bring faster trains to Connecticut, which will improve the state’s economy, growth, and quality of life, according to a Connecticut Department of Transportation press release.

"Connecticut’s rail line is the lifeline of the Northeast," said Lamont. "We have a partnership (with) Amtrak that has been successful over the years and we look forward to that continuing."

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed by President Joe Biden in November 2021, authorized $30 billion in competitive grants that will be available for the Northeast Corridor (NEC) to improve rail performance.

Initiatives in the state’s TIME FOR CT initiative, which calls for faster and more frequent train service between Connecticut and New York, and the CONNECT NEC 2035 initiative, which aims to improve rail throughout the Northeast, could benefit from robust competitive grant funding, Connecticut and Amtrak officials said.

"We have a strong, long-standing partnership with the state of Connecticut and the Connecticut Department of Transportation as we all remain committed to ensuring that we provide safe and reliable train service, while also sharing a vision of improved speeds and service expansion to better serve the citizens of Connecticut and the region," said Gardner.