New Britain Train Station (circa 1900)

A call for rail, not busway on Highland Line

Sun, 2 May 2010 11:10:21 -0400

http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/hc-mckay-scrap-busway-for-rail.artmay02,0,7317464.story
By MOLLY MCKAY
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The proposed 9.4-mile New Britain-to-Hartford busway — a paved corridor exclusively for buses that would connect only four communities: New Britain, Newington, West Hartford and Hartford — could cause the permanent loss of rail rights-of-way and deal a drastic blow to the state's passenger and freight rail service.

The busway is estimated to cost $570 million. And that's just the estimate.

This costly project will harm passenger and freight rail systems in Connecticut and throughout New England. It would pave over an existing rail right-of-way between Newington and New Britain. That right-of-way is part of the former Highland Line, which provided passenger service from Waterbury to Hartford. Much of that track is still used by freight trains, but it could, for a relatively reasonable cost, be restored for passenger rail. Ideally, double-tracking is the best solution for passenger and freight rail in a shared right-of-way, but for less money, a single track will work, with a few sidings, improved signaling and proper scheduling.

Today, the only passenger rail out of Waterbury goes to Bridgeport on the Waterbury Line. Many legislators and residents are calling for passenger service to be restored from Waterbury to Hartford.

There is good reason for this demand. Passenger service would open up rail connections to hundreds of thousands of commuters and travelers. Passengers could board a train in Bristol or Plainville (the closest stop to Farmington) and go south along the shoreline to New York. Going north, the route would connect to the Amtrak line in Hartford and could continue through northern New England to Canada.

New Britain gains even more. It would have commuter service east to Hartford or west to Waterbury, southwestern Connecticut and New York. A resident of New Britain or Bristol could work in New York City. New Britain would also have a direct rail connection to the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield line, which will be both commuter and high-speed rail when it is upgraded.

The busway, on the other hand, is a dead end. It is even problematic for the communities just west of New Britain, because, to reach the busway, a commuter must deal with local traffic. Time estimates for commuter trips show little incentive to use a bus. For example: Bristol to Hartford via the busway would be 45 to 50 minutes. The same trip by train would be 27 minutes.

Hartford is ringed by massive highways. The only rail service is Amtrak, which is infrequent. But great opportunities are in store if we invest in our rail infrastructure, which links to all of New England. Massachusetts has funds to restore rail from Springfield to Vermont, a project that will cost $75 million and took only 18 months to come to fruition. Trains will be running on that line long before the proposed busway is completed.

Massachusetts is also pushing for improvement of the rail line between Springfield and Worcester. Worcester already has excellent commuter rail to Boston. When the Massachusetts projects are done and the New Haven-to -Springfield line is upgraded, Hartford will have modern rail service to Boston.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood was in Hartford last Monday to discuss the Hartford-to-Springfield line with U.S. Rep. John Larson, Sen. Chris Dodd and Tim Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in western Massachusetts. Connecticut could be one of the first states to get high-speed rail.

Busways — so-called bus rapid transit — are the last gasp of the highway lobby at work. This powerful industry has skewed our transportation system into near-complete highway dependency over the past century, while actively undermining rail transit as well as intercity rail.

America is left with a dysfunctional, broken, near Third-World transportation system. City and town centers have emptied out as people with cars fled to the suburbs, leaving the less fortunate stranded in downtowns with little or no access to jobs. We need to correct this transportation and economic injustice. We can and should re-program the funding for this over-priced busway to rail, so that people in central Connecticut will have fast, convenient rail connections to Boston, Hartford and New York.

•Molly McKay of Mystic is the transportation chairwoman of the Connecticut Sierra Club. She is also a member of The Courant's Place Board of Contributors.
Copyright © 2010, The Hartford Courant

Sierra Club joins busway fight; promotes regional rail

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:28:25 -0400

NEW BRITAIN
Sierra Club Of Connecticut Joins Opposition To New Britain Busway Proposal

By DON STACOM
The Hartford Courant
April 23, 2010
HARTFORD —
With the New Britain busway proposal perhaps just a month away from landing a $220 million federal grant, a prominent environmental group on Thursday joined opponents who want to scuttle the plan.

"This busway isn't simply a waste of resources, it would be a transportation tragedy," Molly McKay, a representative of the Sierra Club of Connecticut, said Thursday. "It is a continuation of the environmental and economic injustice inflicted by the highway lobby on this country for a century."

McKay acknowledged that her group was late diving into the busway debate, but said that the Sierra Club is convinced that restoring passenger train service along the busway corridor makes more sense environmentally and financially. Building the $569 million busway would pave over a railbed that otherwise could be a key link for future Hartford-to- Waterbury-to- Manhattan passenger rail service.

McKay spoke at a press conference with legislative and business leaders who are lobbying to scrap the busway plan. In the audience were advocates who are campaigning just as hard to get it built.

"The busway is the best option for central Connecticut. We're not going to throw away a sure thing," state Rep. Tim O'Brien, D-New Britain, said later.

"There's a lot of misinformation out there," added Juliet Manalan, a spokeswoman for the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, a supporter of the project.

The controversy has split politicians and advocacy groups in remarkable ways, uniting adversaries while dividing cliques that usually stand together. Business and environmental groups line up on both sides, and partisan lines seem not to count.

New Britain's chamber of commerce, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and Gov. M. Jodi Rell all endorse the busway. Meanwhile, Bristol's chamber of commerce, the Rail*Trains*Ecology*Cycling advocacy group and state Rep. William Hamzy, a former GOP state chairman, all oppose it.

Republican Mayor Timothy Stewart of New Britain and his city's Democratic legislators are bitter political enemies. Nevertheless, Stewart, O'Brien and Rep. John Geragosian are working for the busway, while Sen. Donald DeFronzo, the senior member of New Britain's delegation, is among its most influential opponents.

The state Department of Transportation says the $569 million busway to Hartford would reduce traffic on I-84 and spur development along the route.
Copyright © 2010, The Hartford Courant

Sierra Club fights busway; Two GOP candidates oppose busway, support rail

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 10:24:12 -0400

Sierra Club backs rail
Thursday, April 22, 2010 9:40 PM EDT
By Jackie Majerus Staff Writer
HARTFORD — Restoring rail to the region instead of paving a nine-mile busway between Hartford and New Britain is an environmentally friendly alternative, the Sierra Club said in an Earth Day press conference.  Molly McKay, the transportation chairwoman for the Connecticut Sierra Club, said the proposed busway is too costly and would prevent rather than promote integrated transportation methods such as biking.  The Sierra Club took its stand with the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce and two Bristol lawmakers in favor of rebuilding rail in the region rather than pushing ahead with the proposed busway.
“There is so much opportunity for connectivity,” McKay said, especially in keeping with President Barack Obama’s desire for regional cooperation.  New England has been “far less organized” about regional transportation projects than other areas of the country, according to McKay, such as the Midwest, which received a lot more funding.  McKay said the Sierra Club favors feeder buses in combination with rail and wants the state to look again at the options for rail.  State Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat, said his fellow lawmakers in New Britain may not be happy with his support for rail, but he said this is not a debate between cities, but a concern about the best use of transportation funds.  “Six hundred million for nine miles is ridiculous,” Nicastro said. “That’s 60 million dollars a mile. Rail is a far better way to go than the bus.”  State Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican who also represents Bristol, said a rail line offers the chance to move both passengers and freight.  “The rail option provides us much more flexibility. The busway would not take any trucks off the road,” he said.  The idea that the busway plan is imminent is not a good enough reason to proceed, said Hamzy, especially when other options, especially rail, haven’t been fully investigated.  Michael Sanders, a transit and ridesharing administrator with the state Department of Transportation, said the last study looking at rail here was done 10 years ago. Nothing much has changed since then, he said.  But Sanders said the study was about rail service from Plainville to Hartford and did not factor in the city of Bristol.  “The DOT doesn’t stand in the way of further study of this,” said Sanders. “Both sides are disingenuous. We need to find a place in the middle.”  He said 170 people ride the bus every day from Bristol to Hartford.  The final project should be the best, most cost-effective, most efficient transportation, and a study of rail could be fast-tracked, said Hamzy. The state has a chance to do something that would benefit the entire region, he said, rather than just a couple towns.  Towns like Plainville, Bristol and Thomaston will be left out if the busway plan moves ahead, said Nicastro. The rail line and the right of way is already there.  Rail, said Nicastro, offers the chance to ride all the way into Grand Central Terminal in New York City — an option he said would be safer and faster than driving.  His brother, Mike Nicastro, the president of the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce, said his organization is opposed to the busway because it’s not the best use of transportation dollars. It would carry fewer people than rail and far outpace rail in terms of cost.  “The cost of this project is too high,” and the money should be diverted from the busway to a rail solution that would benefit the entire region rather than lock in an expensive bus route that would prohibit the restoration of rail there, he said.  Top GOP candidates choose rail  HARTFORD — The effort to block the proposed busway between Hartford and New Britain picked up the backing of two top Republican candidates Thursday.  “The future is rail — and high-speed rail at that,” said 1st District congressional hopeful Mark Zydanowicz.  Jason Welch, who is angling to snatch the 31st District state Senate seat, said the busway “is not a bad idea. It’s just not the best idea.”  Welch, a Bristol lawyer, is taking on 18-year incumbent Democrat Tom Colapietro.  Welch said that a commuter rail line from Waterbury to Hartford, which would hook into rail lines running to New York City and Boston, is the “common-sense solution” to increasingly congested highways in Central Connecticut.  Larson said he also favors more rail, but doesn’t want to sidetrack the busway because it will help and is nearing the end of a long planning process. Its construction is just around the corner, he said recently.  Colapietro said he remains “very mixed” about the busway project. He said it appears to him that the rail option, which hasn’t been studied yet, “would definitely be more expensive.”  Colapietro said if transportation officials who have talked with him can be believed the busway is less costly. DOT officials estimated Thursday the total cost at $545 million. Other estimates, depending on construction costs and other factors, reach to $575 million or more.  “I haven’t made a decision yet. I’m just trying to make an honest decision,” the senator said.  Zydanowicz said the busway’s cost is “almost inconceivable” for such a short route. It would run a little more than nine miles on a dedicated road between Hartford and New Britain that would use, in part, an old rail right of way that may be crucial to commuter rail’s success.  He said the region already has a bus system in place.  Welch said he would make sure his votes backed commuter rail instead of undermining it. He pointed to a committee vote on a bridge that state Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat, opposed because it might limit rail options. Colapietro voted the other way.  “Commuter rail will make the district more attractive to new residents, boost home values, help keep critical businesses such as ESPN in the area and provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to start and locate businesses here,” Welch said. “All of this means more jobs in greater Bristol.”  Steve Collins

Republican evaluates costs

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 01:05:57 -0500

Home > News > Politics
divisive issue
Hamzy, Former GOP State Chairman, Endorses Hartford-To-Waterbury Rail Line

By DON STACOM
March 1, 2010
BRISTOL — - In another sign that the dispute over the Hartford-to-New Britain busway isn't splitting along partisan lines, a prominent Republican has endorsed a Hartford-to-Waterbury rail alternative instead.

Rep. William Hamzy of Plymouth, a former GOP state chairman, said Thursday that re-establishing passenger train service would be more cost-effective than spending about $569 million for a 9.6-mile, bus-only highway.

The rail alternative "is necessary for the continued vitality of our region and will bring substantial economic, social and environmental benefits to Bristol and the surrounding region," Hamzy said recently in a letter to Connecticut's congressional delegation.

Hamzy is going against the position of at least two Republican leaders; Gov. M. Jodi Rell's administration has backed the busway for years, and New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart is one of its most vocal supporters.

Democrats are also divided. U.S. Rep. John Larson, 1st District, and U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd support the busway, as does state Rep. Tim O'Brien of New Britain. But the leader of New Britain's legislative delegation, state Sen. Donald DeFronzo, opposes it. West Hartford's Democratic delegation to the General Assembly also opposes it, as do many Democratic legislators and city officials from Bristol.

The political differences could prove pivotal as the busway vs. rail debate heads to the General Assembly. Rell's transportation chief, Joseph Marie, says that Connecticut probably will get its final federal approval — along with more than $200 million in funding — for the busway this year. Opponents hope to block the project before then, but admit that the political momentum favors the busway.

The three chief points of contention are money, location and the future. Busway advocates say that Connecticut would be foolish to throw away hundreds of millions in federal aid that's almost locked in for the busway; they add that the Hartford-to-Waterbury rail route has no chance of coming close to federal aid for years at least. Busway opponents say the project will devour badly needed federal and state transportation funds for years.

The battle over location will determine whether New Britain or Bristol gets the chief economic development boost. Bristol prefers returning passenger trains to the lightly used rail line because that route goes directly past a 17-acre downtown property that's awaiting development. New Britain wants the busway because the last station would be in the heart of its downtown.

Busway advocates say their project would attract 15,000 riders a day, including 4,000 who currently add to rush-hour congestion on I-84. They say a system of express and feeder buses is more flexible and economical than rail. Train advocates warn that if the busway is built, it will forever block top-quality commuter rail service on the Bristol line. The busway and the rail line both would use a stretch of abandoned rail bed between New Britain and Newington.

Copyright © 2010, The Hartford Courant

Kill the Busway, NOW!

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:21:00 -0500

Home > News > Editorials

YOUR VIEW: Michael D. Nicastro
Stop The Busway; More Value In Rail Upgrade

The proposed New Britain to Hartford busway is an expensive, limited solution to central Connecticut's mass transit problems that could be more cost effectively addressed by restoration of rail service from Waterbury to Hartford. Officials should stop the busway project.

First, funding the estimated $573 million busway will take money from other state projects. Further, the potential of 4,000 new bus riders does not justify the size of the capital outlay along with the $7.5 million annual operating cost.

The state Department of Transportation has been working with the Federal Transit Administration to secure $275 million under the FTA's New Starts program. No contract has been signed, but DOT is optimistic because $45 million of the total was identified in President Barack Obama's proposed budget. The $45 million needs to survive in the president's budget and then win approval from the House and Senate. No guarantees that will happen, or that the amount will remain the same.

In addition, New Starts funding is sent on the federal government's timetable. So although the federal government may be contractually committed to the entire $275 million (if and when a New Starts Full Funding agreement is executed), the state will need to bear most of the cash outlay and wait to see how quickly the money is reimbursed by Washington.

The second largest piece of funding will come from what the DOT refers to as "flexing Federal Highway Administration funds." Every year, Connecticut receives funding to maintain our interstate highways and other projects. The DOT moves those funds from project to project and from fiscal year to fiscal year.

In 2012 and 2013, DOT plans to shift approximately $116 million of federal funds to the busway. These are the same years that Connecticut is facing a deficit of close to $3 billion. An important fact because, at a Nov. 19 hearing, Commissioner Joseph F. Marie said, "Connecticut has more than $2.5 billion in unfunded roadway and bridge programs and more than $1.2 billion in unfunded needs on our transit infrastructure." So, assuming the state gets the same federal funding for Connecticut in the next bill through Congress, moving money to the busway project will likely postpone other critical state highway work.

The last large piece of funding for the busway will come from the sale of state bonds, up to another $60 million. Again, all for one project.

Once built, the busway will have an annual operating cost of $7.5 million ($9 million actual expenses minus estimated fares) as well as requiring repair and maintenance that many of our roads and bridges now so desperately need.

All of this money is for a 9-mile road that may or may not remove 4,000 commuters from I-84, and unlike rail will not remove one truck.

So why not look at lower-cost alternatives? In this case, a usable and upgradable rail line from Waterbury to Hartford that would serve thousands more people and at a lower cost per person, per mile or whatever measure you choose than the busway proposal.

We're told that going back now would take 10 years to 12 years. But other states have moved faster. Massachusetts has launched its Knowledge Corridor project — 52 miles of rail for passengers and freight through Springfield, Northampton and Greenfield up to Northfield.

The Massachusetts project kicked off June 26, 2008, and was funded with $70 million of federal funds last month, when we received $40 million to double-track the New Haven to Springfield line from Meriden to Newington. Total cost of the Knowledge Corridor is $75 million. The work will begin this spring and trains will roll in 2012. All for $500 million less and two years sooner than the first bus rolls along the busway.

We should reconsider spending close to $600 million in precious capital when lower cost and viable solutions are available. Restoration of the Waterbury rail line to Hartford will serve all of central Connecticut, including the busway communities, and at a lower cost.

We need leaders who will look at these projects with a critical eye. Sometimes leadership is the courage to say no, no matter how attractive a deal may look on the surface.

•Michael D. Nicastro is president and CEO of the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce based in Bristol.
Copyright © 2010, The Hartford Courant