Westbrook Train Station Breaks Ground After Lengthy Delays

Years of hard work has paid off for Westbrook, the last town on Shoreline East to break ground on a new train station.

As a former Pictorial Gazette reporter from 2006 to 2008, I know that this comes after a once-secretive controversial land swap. A committee made up of town and state officials met for months regarding the proposal and refused to release records. I subsquently filed a Freedom of Information Act complaint and, before the hearing was held, records were made public and I withdrew my complaint.

I am hopeful everyone will benefit from this new station after many delays due to enviornmental and cost issues for the state and town. It will be a welcome sight for passengers who parked in a cramped lot and used a wooden platform that shook as trains went by. 

The new $14.4 million Westbrook Train Station will feature 200 parking spaces on both sides of the tracks. The station will feature canopy covered high-level platforms which will be the length of four rail cars. Additionally, there will be an enclosed waiting area, pedestrian bridge, elevators, ADA accessible ramps, an audio and visual messaging system and other station amenities that can be found at its sister stations.

“We worked closely with Westbrook and the state legislature to secure this site for development as well as address other transportation needs here in Southeastern Connecticut,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redeker, according to a DOT press release.

The Westbrook station will be located on Norris Avenue (Route 153) just off Interstate 95, exit 65. It is expected to open in 2013 and is within walking distance to Westbrook Town Center.

, Clinton, Guilford, and Madison have received new stations over the past decade.

The Expanding Rail Service on Shore Line East Report states that providing platforms on both sides of the tracks is necessary if Shoreline East adds service outside the current rush hour periods. Their first phase for expansion is to provide eight round trips per day on weekends, one mid-day round trip, and one late evening off-peak outbound train running between New Haven and Old Saybrook. The second phase is to expand the service east to New London while the third phase is to incorporate bi-directional service on weekdays.

“Improving our mass transit infrastructure is vital to increasing our regional competitiveness and to ensuring a fast, convenient, and reliable commute for our workforce,” said Governor Daniel Malloy. "This station is only one of many investments we are making in our transit system — from roads and bridges to putting 405 new rail cars in service to new stations and parking in New Fairfield, Branford, and now Westbrook. We will continue to push hard to bring federal dollars back to the state, and we will continue to strengthen our transit system—for our economy and for riders.”