Connecticut State Rail Plan

1 2012 Connecticut State rail plan _____ THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK 2012 Connecticut State rail plan _____ State of Connecticut Department of Transportation 2012-2016 Connecticut State rail plan Prepared by: BUREAU OF PUBLIC TRANSPORATION, OFFICE OF rail Connecticut DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 50 UNION AVENUE, FOURTH FLOOR WEST NEW HAVEN, Connecticut 06519 2012 Connecticut State rail plan _____ TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .. 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .. 7 CHAPTER 1 State rail VISION, GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES .. 9 MISSION S TA TEME NT, VIS ION, AND VALUES ..9 GOALS AND OB JE CTIVES FOR rail SERV ICE IN Connecticut .. 10 CHAPTER 2 FEDERAL AND State MANDATES .. 13 FEDERA L LEGISLA TION AND PLA NNING REQUIREME NTS .. 14 STA TE LE GIS LA TION A ND PLANNING RE QUIREMENTS .. 15 CHAPTER 3 DESCRIPTION OF rail SYSTEM IN Connecticut .. 18 GENERA L OVE RVIEW OF THE RA IL SYS 18 HIS TORY OF CONNE CTICUT RA ILROA DS - S UMMA RY.

2 20 CHAPTER 4 COMMUTER PASSENGER rail NETWORK .. 23 INVE NTORY OF COM MUTE R RA IL NE TWORK .. 24 COMM UTE R RA IL SE RVICE OVERV 26 COMM UTE R RA IL FA CILITIES, SYS TEMS, AND EQUIPME NT .. 27 COMM UTE R RA IL ASSE T CONDITION AND NEE 38 STUDIES AND SERV ICE E XPA NSION P LANNING .. 46 INITIA TION OF SE RVICE AND NEW S TA TION PLANNING .. 50 CHAPTER 5 INTERCITY PASSENGER rail NETWORK .. 58 INTE RCITY PASSENGER RA IL SERV ICE OVERV IEW .. 58 INVE NTORY OF INTERCITY PASSENGE R RA IL NE TWORK .. 59 INTE RCITY PASSENGER RA IL FA CILITIES .. 62 INTE RCITY PASSENGER RA IL ASSE T CONDITION AND NEE DS .. 62 NORTHEAS T CORRIDOR AND HIGH-SPEED rail AND PLA NNING .. 63 CHAPTER 6 FREIGHT rail 68 FREIGHT RA IL SE RVICE OVERV IEW AND FACILITIES .. 68 INVE NTORY OF FRE IGHT RA IL NE TWORK .. 75 FREIGHT RA IL ASSE T CONDITION AND NEE 82 FREIGHT RA IL OPERATORS CONCE 91 rail LINE ABA NDONME NTS AND REOPENINGS.

3 94 REGIONAL CONNE CTIVITY A ND CORRIDOR PLA NNING .. 95 CHAPTER 7 - INTERMODAL rail CONNECTIONS AND FACILITIES .. 98 MAJOR PASSENGE R RA IL INTERM ODA L CONNE CTIONS A ND FACILITIES .. 99 MAJOR FRE IGHT rail INTE RMODAL CONNE CTIONS AND FA CILITIES .. 103 CHAPTER 8 ECONOMIC IMPACT AND REVIEW OF DEMOGRAP HIC TRENDS AND PLA NNING DA TA .. 112 ECONOM IC IMPA CTS OF rail .. 119 MODELING CONNE CTICUT WITHOUT RA IL TRANSPORT .. 124 CHAPTER 9 ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT ..127 ENERGY USE .. 128 AIR QUA LITY .. 129 LAND USE AND COMM UNITY IMPA CTS .. 133 2012 Connecticut State rail plan _____ CHAPTER 10 - SAFETY AND SECURITY ..137 rail SAFE TY .. 137 SECURING THE rail SYSTEM .. 143 CHAPTER 11 LONG-RANGE SERVICE AND INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND PROGRAMS ..150 INVES TME NT S TRA TEGIES .. 150 NEAR TE RM A CTIONS .. 153 CHAPTER 12 PUBLIC FUNDING FOR rail PROJECTS AND SERVICES ..156 CAPITA L PLANNING PROCESS.

4 156 FEDERA L RA IL P ROGRAM FUNDING .. 157 STA TE rail PROGRA M FUNDING .. 158 FREIGHT CAP ITAL INVES TME NT P ROGRAM .. 167 CHAPTER 13 PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF COMMUTER rail ..170 CHAPTER 14 plan OUTREACH AND DEVELOPMENT APPENDIX A - LONG-RANGE SERVICE AND INVESTMENT PROGRAM FUNDING APPENDIX B - LONG RANGE SERVICE AND INVESTMENT PROGRAM PROJECT APPENDIX C - LIST OF ACRONYMS ..256 2012 Connecticut State rail plan _____ LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Growth Management Principles in Conservation & Development Policies plan .. 16 Figure 2. Development Area Policies (In order of priority) .. 16 Figure 3. Conservation Area Policies (In order of priority) .. 16 Figure 4. Connecticut rail Ownership and Service Map .. 19 Figure 5. Passenger rail Services in the 23 Figure 6. Operating Statistics .. 27 Figure 7. New Haven Line - Main Line Parking Statistics .. 29 Figure 8. New Haven Line - Branch Lines Parking Statistics.

5 30 Figure 9. Shore Line East Parking Statistics .. 31 Figure 10. Connecticut Railroad Bridge Inventory .. 34 Figure 11. Connecticut -Owned rail Rolling Stock Unit Summary .. 35 Figure 12. M-8 rail Car Photograph .. 36 Figure 13. Bride Condition 44 Figure 14. Railroad Bridge Condition Rating by Location .. 44 Figure 15. Average Age of Connecticut -Owned rail Fleet in 2010 .. 45 Figure 16. NHHS Corridor Map .. 51 Figure 17. NHHS Map - Regional Connectivity .. 54 Figure 18. Amtrak Ridership in Connecticut by Station .. 58 Figure 19. Amtrak Acela Service (photograph) .. 59 Figure 20. NEC Core Network and Feeder Lines .. 60 Figure 21. Amtrak Train Traversing the Connecticut River Bridge - Photograph .. 61 Figure 22. Designated High-Speed rail Corridors 64 Figure 23. Northern New England Corridor Map .. 65 Figure 24. Freight Railroad Rights of Way Miles in Connecticut .. 76 Figure 25. rail Line Mileages in Connecticut .

6 80 Figure 26. Annual rail Freight Tonnage .. 82 Figure 27. Railroad Freight Car Weight Limits and Goals .. 85 Figure 28. Freight Railroad Weight Limit Routes and Priority Segments for Upgrade Map .. 86 Figure 29. FRA Class of Track and Operating 88 Figure 30. rail Line Segments Not In Service .. 95 Figure 31. New Britain - Hartford Busway Route and Stops Map .. 101 Figure 32. New London Harbor Admiral Harold E. Shear State Pier Photograph .. 104 Figure 33. New Haven Harbor Port of New Haven Photograph .. 107 Figure 34. Port of Bridgeport Bridgeport Harbor Photograph .. 110 Figure 35. Population Growth in 113 Figure 36. Employment in Connecticut , 1960-2040 .. 114 Figure 37. Employment Data by Planning Region, 2000-2040 .. 115 Figure 38. Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in 116 Figure 39. Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) by County .. 116 Figure 40. Means of Transportation to Work in 1990 and 2000 .. 118 Figure 41.

7 Freight Shipments To, From, and Within Connecticut Shipments by Weight: 2002 and 2035 .. 122 Figure 42. REMI Results Average Annual Level and Percent Changes in Selected Economic Variables .. 125 Figure 43. Energy Consumption per Passenger Mile by Mode .. 128 Figure 44. Avoidable Emissions on EPA Mobile Model Basis .. 131 Figure 45. Current List of Railroad/Highway Grade Crossing Projects .. 139 Figure 46. Railroad/Highway At-Grade Crossing Accidents in Connecticut (Statistical Graph).. 142 Figure 47. Railroad Fatalities in Connecticut (Statistical Graph) .. 142 2012 Connecticut State rail plan _____ Figure 48. Railroad Fatalities in Connecticut by Type .. 142 Figure 49. Public Awareness Campaign 146 Figure 50. ConnDOT s Operating Budget for SFY 2011 .. 160 Figure 51. Expenditures from Special Transportation Fund SFY 2011 .. 161 Figure 52. Mean Distance Between Failures for rail Equipment 2008 through 2011 1st 172 Figure 53.

8 Graph of Quarter Comparison of NHL Ridership 2008 - Q1 2011 .. 173 Figure 54. Graph of Quarter Comparisons of SLE Ridership 2008-Q1 174 Figure 55. Graph of On-Time Performance 2008-Q1 2011 175 Figure 56. Graph of On-Time Performance 2008-Q1 2011 SLE .. 175 Figure 57. Overall Satisfaction with Shore Line East 2011 Survey .. 177 Figure 58. Preferences for Future Improvements of Shore Line East 2011 Survey .. 178 2012 Connecticut State rail plan _____ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Connecticut State rail plan 2012-2016 (SRP) is produced in compliance with the guidelines of the Passenger rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA), Public Law 110-432. The SRP contains the Connecticut Department of Transportation s (Department) mission, vision, and values for rail transportation in Connecticut . The vision for rail transportation in Connecticut is a system that provides high-speed, intercity, regional commuter and freight services that will be a catalyst for smart growth, encourage greater mobility, promote the State and regional competitive advantage in the global economy, decrease highway and aviation congestion, reduce energy use, and improve air quality.

9 Connecticut is a State situated in a critical part of the northeast transportation network, in a region dealing with congestion on the existing transportation network. The volume to capacity ratio of highways is projected to grow at a faster pace than the rate at which the State can fund and add lane-miles to the highways. rail offers a safer, greener, and healthier alternative to highway travel, one that requires 35 percent less energy per passenger-mile and generates corresponding lower levels of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. The SRP provides an overview and inventory of the commuter, intercity, and freight rail system and facilities in Connecticut , the services provided, and the asset condition and constraints. It aims to support Connecticut s role in developing a growing, interconnected rail system with adjoining states , and with the New York and Boston metropolitan centers.

10 Intermodal connections to maritime, air, bus transit, and highway modes as well as improved transit and bike/pedestrian links are important elements of an efficient and effective rail transportation system. It recognizes the significant extent to which information and eases of access and use impact the productivity of the entire transportation system. The SRP presents strategies and programs aimed first at ensuring that the existing passenger and freight rail infrastructure is maintained in a State of good repair. It is critical that existing assets be sustained through a regular maintenance and replacement program to ensure safe, fast, reliable and efficient passenger and freight services. This fundamental set of investments represents a significant challenge given the extensive and very old rail assets owned by both the State of Connecticut and by private freight operators.