Work on a $10 million project to upgrade the power supply for Metro North’s New Haven Line begins on Monday. The upgrade is aimed at preventing the kind of catastrophic power failure that took place in New York last fall, seriously disrupting service.
Governor Dannel Malloy announced the project Sunday at Union Station in New Haven. “Transportation is the backbone of our economy here in Connecticut,” he said. “As governor, I’ve been clear that we need to invest in bringing our highways and mass transit systems into the 21st century after years of under-investment.”
"We need a system in good repair, coupled with a real concern, on behalf of the railroad, with commuter safety."
Gov. Dannel Malloy
The past year has been rough for Metro-North. From a derailment in Bridgeport that injured scores of people, to another in The Bronx that left four people dead, to several serious service disruptions, Malloy said there is an understandably negative perception about the reliability of the railroad and its infrastructure.
“Frankly,” Malloy said, “we can’t afford for that situation to exist. We need a system that’s in good repair, coupled with a real concern, on behalf of the railroad, with commuter safety.”
The project includes installing new transformers to replace four aging transformers at Cos Cob in Greenwich. The upgrade is expected to significantly increase the power supply.
The governor has also announced plans to meet face-to-face with the CEO and new incoming President of Metro-North to express his concerns about rail operations.
Metro-North runs the New Haven line under a contract with the state Department of Transportation, and will manage the upgrade project with Connecticut Light and Power.
