Progress at Stratford Train Station

Governor Rell last week announced $400,000 for the design of canopies at Stratford Train Station. While there are still other significant improvements to be made, this is positive news for all commuters in Stratford, Shelton, and Monroe.

The new canopies will provide much needed coverage for commuters in bad weather. Right now there are only small booths for commuters to huddle in when it rains. The canopies will make taking mass transit more convenient for commuters. Improving train stations like the one in Stratford is a key to getting more people to use mass transit.

However, there is still much to be done at Stratford Train Station to make it truly world-class. First, we desperately need more parking. We have proposed a new multi-story garage to handle a large part of the 1,500 person waiting list for parking. Representative John Harkins led the charge in securing millions of dollars in funding for the parking garage. Second, there are a large number of small items, such as dedicated drop-off spaces, increased security, and an expanded platform that will make using the train station easier for commuters.

Previous progress on Stratford Train Station has been unacceptably slow. The state Department of Transportation (DOT) dropped the ball in implementing these ideas. Whereas Representative Harkins secured the money for the parking garage several years ago, the DOT never put the project out to bid. Even worse, everyone we talked to at the DOT said “it wasn’t my responsibility”. The lack of accountability meant that the progress languished in bureaucracy—until we started asking questions.

Governor Rell has worked with Representative Harkins and me to get the DOT back on track. Not only did she provide us this money for the canopies, but she has tasked the new Commissioner of Transportation with ensuring a timeline for construction of the parking garage. The DOT now has a timeline to break ground for the new parking garage, and we will hold them accountable.

Equally important, we have set up a Stratford Train Station Citizen’s Advisory Board to hold the DOT accountable in the upcoming months and years. The volunteers on this board are personally dedicated to making sure these improvements happen—because most of them are commuters. They were instrumental in making the canopies a reality, and continue to provide clear guidance to the DOT and to us regarding the priorities for improving the train station.

Improvements are not going to happen overnight. The parking garage will not be completed until at least 2010, but we are hopeful more improvements will come in the next year. The good news is we are finally heading in the right direction, and the new canopies will be proof that progress is being made.