Proposed High-Speed Train Line Would Cut Right Through Connecticut

Amtrak is moving forward with plans to spend $115 billion improving rail service between Washington D.C., and Boston, including a proposal for a new high speed rail line that would cut through the middle of Connecticut.

That latter plan has some state officials concerned because the proposal currently does not include any stops along the Connecticut portion of the route for some of the high speed trains, according to a story published in the Hartford Courant. 

Amtrak's proposal for the new rail service would include a high speed portion with trains that would operate at up to 220 miles per hour along the new line that would be built from Danbury to Providence and which would cut diagonally across the state. A second tier service along that high speed line would include stops only in Danbury, Waterbury and Hartford, the Courant reports.

The new line, which is part of Amtrak's long-term plans, would cut directly through numerous eastern Connecticut towns. You can see a detailed report on Amtrak's proposal here.

There is also chatter about bringing back the north-south rail line, which would make stops very close to Ledyard.

The Montville Town Council has decided to get behind a measure by the Central Corridor Rail Coalition and Central Palmer Rail Coalition to see rail service reinstituted between Brattleboro, Vermont and New London for reasons that include the absence of existing passenger rail service in certain areas of New England, including Southeastern Connecticut, as a way to ease traffic congestion and emissions pollution.  

The route would connect and transport passengers boarding in New London County to destinations north like UConn and UMass, for instance. Amtrak has a station in New London already but the central corridor tracks pass through Mohegan Sun, Connecticut College, and the Coast Guard Academy. Historically, the train has also stopped in Norwich.