Senator Toni Boucher (R-26) applauded
the show of regional support before the General Assembly’s
Transportation Committee for her proposed legislation
to make improvements to the Norwalk/Danbury Train Line.
Senator Boucher’s proposed legislation,
SB 425, An Act Concerning The Improvement Of The Norwalk/Danbury
Train, was a subject of a recent public
hearing. Senator Boucher is the leading Republican Senator,
or ranking member, of the Transportation Committee.
“As a long time advocate for the Norwalk/Danbury
train line, I found it extremely important and timely
to have so many leaders and organizations from our region
stand up and speak out in favor of making necessary improvements.
Their overwhelming support for implementing the recommendations
of the Norwalk/Danbury Branch Line Improvement Plan is
critical and will go a long way in convincing the state
to continue its investment in improving mass transit in
Fairfield County. Their abundant support was noted by
the entire committee and by the DOT. I thank all who took
the time to make the long journey to Hartford to testify,
or submit written testimony, and assure them that I will
continue working with my legislative colleagues to move
this important initiative forward,” said Senator
Boucher.
Those who expressed support for the proposed legislation
include: Weston First Selectman Woody Bliss who also chairs
the South Western Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
(SWRMPO); Wilton First Selectman William F. Brennan, member
of SWRMPO; Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi; Gail
Lavielle of Wilton and member of the Connecticut Public
Transportation Commission; Tim Beeble of Bethel; Jonathan
Chew, Executive Director of Housatonic Valley Council
of Elected Officials; and Molly McKay, CT Sierra Club
Transportation Committee Chair, and Martin Mador, CT Sierra
Club Legislative Chair.
Senator Boucher said that much of the testimony in
favor of her proposed legislation pointed out the need
to complete the CTC signal upgrade, which is the key
to making other necessary improvements. She said that
supporters of her proposed legislation agreed that making
additional, necessary, improvements to the train line
must be the focus of the state Department of Transportation.
Also, she said there was much support for extending
the train line to New Milford and, eventually, electrification
of the train line.
“Decades of regional and state long range transportation
plans and studies have led to implementation of some
projects that improve highway operations and safety
in the Route 7 corridor. On the rail side, little progress
has been made. Even though the regional long range transportation
plans of the South Western Region and the Housatonic
Valley Region have designated Danbury Branch Line improvements
as a priority, few improvements have been implemented,”
said Weston First Selectman and SWRMPO Chair
Woody Bliss.
“First, there is good news. The Route 7 widening
project in Wilton will be fully completed in approximately
one year. This is offset by the not-so-good news that
rail improvements to the Danbury Branch have not progressed
beyond maintenance activities. Needed infrastructure
and state upgrades are long overdue . . . Improvements
to the Danbury Branch centralized traffic control (CTC)
system have made little progress for more than a decade.
This is an essential safety and operations project that
will upgrade the manual block traffic control system
to a safety-compliant and state of the art system,”
said Wilton First Selectman William F. Brennan.
“This is perhaps the most difficult year for
budgeting in recent memory, and I am not envious of
what lies ahead for all of you. There will be some very
difficult decisions we all need to make both here at
the state level and for all CEOs at the local level.
Unquestionably, there will be programs and projects
that will not be supported. But when you consider this
bill, SB 425, I ask that you keep in mind one very important
consideration. When the dust has settled and the air
clears and we have begun our upward climb out of this
severe recession, we must be sure that our actions now
result in projects that will advance our state and regions
to be more efficient, environmentally sensitive, and
proactive in leading Connecticut into the future. SB
425 begins this journey,” said Ridgefield First
Selectman Rudy Marconi.
Gail Lavielle of Wilton, testifying
as a private citizen and former commuter and not as
a member of the Connecticut Public Transportation Commission,
said that a recent increase in train service improvements
to the Wilton train stations and initial funding for
a new centralized traffic control system augurs well
for the branch line, but more improvements are needed.
“Western Connecticut is one of our state’s
key economic engines, and mass transit is necessary
to keep it going. Businesses can’t run and families
can’t survive if people can’t get to work.
Connecticut needs its people in this part of the state
to stay in Connecticut and to contribute to its economy.
But they must have conditions that allow them to thrive:
efficient mass transit, less congested roadways, and
property values that are enhanced by easy access to
major metropolitan areas.” said Gail Lavielle.
“Please support SB 425 directing the state Department
of Transportation to implement the recommendations of
the Norwalk/Danbury Branch Line Improvement Plan, including
electrification. Currently diesel locomotives pull the
trains up and down the line. Electrification would reduce
air and noise pollution, as well as substantially increase
the speed of the trains,” said Tim Beeble.
“Greater Danbury’s growth is fueled by
the fact that it is a rapidly growing commuter shed
for the Norwalk and Stamford areas. Many Stamford workers
have sought housing in Greater Danbury, way out of proportion
to population growth rates in Greater Danbury. This
market is key for north to south rail passenger service,”
said Jonathan Chew, Executive Director of the
Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials.
“Transportation needs to be planned as a system,
not separate, competing modes. We have over invested
in roads for so many decades that in order to integrate
highways, rails, buses, bicycles, air travel and walking,
we need to greatly expand our funding for rail and transit
and use highway money to fix what we have built because
it is crumbling,” said Molly McKay and
Martin Mador, officials of the CT Sierra Club.
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