Feds Rethink Connecticut Railroad Upgrades, Branford Lawmaker, Malloy Commends Decision

GUILFORD/BRANFORD, CT — Rep. Sean Scanlon (D-Guilford), a member of the legislature's Transportation Committee, released the following statement following the Federal Railroad Administration's issuance this afternoon of their Northeast Corridor (NEC) Future Record of Decision:

"I'm glad the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) heard the legitimate concerns of hundreds of my constituents and chose not to recommend the so-called "quad track bypass" between Guilford and Branford in their Record of Decision. Instead of recommending a proposal with little to no public input, they have taken a more appropriate step of recommending that the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) conduct a capacity planning study for the future of the rail line between New Haven and Providence.

For months, I joined with other elected officials from the local, state and federal level in calling on the FRA to come here and listen to us and while I'm disappointed they never did, I'm glad they made the right decision and I can assure Guilford and Branford residents that if and when DOT decides to conduct this study, they will have a seat at the table and a voice in this process," Scanlon said.

See related: Feds Rethink Connecticut Railroad Upgrades

Governor Dannel P. Malloy in a statement released to the media today is commending the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) decision on the NEC Future program for responding to his consistent urging to focus on upgrading and maintaining the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in a “state of good repair” and postponing consideration of any new alignment of the tracks through Connecticut.

Since the initial release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement in November of 2015, Governor Malloy has consistently requested that the FRA focus recommendations on the future of the NEC to achieve a state of good repair and enhance the performance of the existing rail corridor, which is what the FRA’s decision released today achieves, Malloy's statement reads.

Further, the decision does not include any specific “alternative alignments” in Connecticut and along the entire corridor. Rather, the FRA has identified areas for future capacity planning efforts to be initiated and led by the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

“The Federal Railroad Administration has developed a vision for the future of the Northeast Corridor and issued a decision that provides a path forward for expanding capacity and improving performance of the existing railroad,” Malloy said in a statement. “They have responded directly to requests made by the State of Connecticut to enable significant and necessary investments to address an estimated $38 billion backlog in state-of-good-repair assets, and we thank them for their consideration of our concerns.”

Connecticut continues to make substantial investments in the Northeast Corridor. In the first annual report of the Northeast Corridor Commission, which details investments in the corridor during 2016, the state spent $367 million of the total $1.1 billion spent on the entire network from Boston to Washington, fully one-third of the total investment in this vital rail corridor.

Malloy added, “Now that the decision is final, it is time for the federal government to step up and invest to bring the Northeast Corridor into a state of good repair, which is essential for the economy of the entire region.”