TWO RAILROAD GIANTS AT WAR – AND RIDERS PAY THE PRICE

 

There’s a feud brewing between Metro-North and Amtrak and it’s getting nasty.  Worse yet, this tiff is already hurting our train service in Connecticut.

Since 2021 construction has been underway to bring some Metro-North trains into New York’s Penn Station, rather than Grand Central.  At New Rochelle, select Metro-North trains headed to NYC will “hang a left” and go over the Hell’s Gate Bridge, just as Amtrak trains now do, with new station stops in the Bronx.

This is significant not only for getting Connecticut and Westchester commuters to Manhattan’s west side, but more importantly, to harvest the labor of Bronx residents for jobs in Connecticut via a speedy, reverse-commuter train ride.

But now Amtrak is dragging its feet, slowing construction.  Why?  Because Amtrak is angry with Metro-North for not allowing high-speed tests of its new Acela NextGen train while running in Connecticut.  And that’s because Metro-North says the new Acelas have been losing their pantographs on Metro-North’s overhead power lines.  Not once, but five times.

Amtrak's NextGen Acela

Amtrak sued MTA (parent of Metro-North) to regain access to our tracks to test their flagship train and they lost.  Now they’re appealing their claim.  Perhaps in revenge, Amtrak is slowing MTA contractors’ access to the new Bronx stations, pushing back their opening from 2027 to 2030.  That means lost employment (and taxes) in Connecticut.

Meanwhile, Amtrak has also throttled the already diminished Shore Line East rail service as CDOT has decided to replace the electric M8 cars running there since 2022.  Why?  Because CDOT says that Amtrak (which owns those tracks and wires east of New Haven) is charging too much money to use its overhead catenary electrical lines to power those electric trains.  So, forget about speed and clean-running electric trains and it’s back to the slower diesels.  Still, CDOT claims this will save them $8.8 million.  I guess that’s the price of clean air?

On top of all this CDOT’s next fare hike (5%) kicks in July 1^st on all Connecticut commuter lines.  Fares are going up because CDOT says its costs are increasing and the only alternative would be service cuts.  That’s not altogether true.

The better alternative would have been for the legislature to adequately fund CDOT operations in the first place by giving them the $11 million needed (and requested by CDOT) this year to run trains at current fares and schedules.  But lawmakers didn’t, so we really have those pols to thank for the fare hike.  Remember that in November.

And forget about the highly-touted revival of trains on the Waterbury branch where ridership is up almost 150% in recent years.  Commuters there are looking not only at that same fare hike but bus substitutes for ten months due to construction. But when the work is done CDOT will open four station upgrades on the branch, so that’s something.

So here's the scorecard: Amtrak and Metro-North are feuding, Shore Line East is going backwards, Waterbury riders will be riding buses, fares are going up, and your legislators didn't lift a finger to stop any of it.  Connecticut commuters aren't just being taken for a ride… they're being taken for granted.