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 today 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.

Meanwhile, 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.