Officials gathered in the Thompsonville section of Enfield on Wednesday morning for a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new Hartford Line train station.
“After all these 40 years of waiting, we’re finally getting it done,” said Gov. Ned Lamont.
A previous train station serving the area closed in 1986 due to low ridership. State Sen. John Kissel, an Enfield Republican, said that closure was a blow to the town.
“I think as soon as the train station was closed down back in the mid '80s, people in Thompsonville and Enfield and north-central Connecticut realized that it was a big mistake,” Kissel said.
Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said plans for the station stretch back decades. He said the $125 million project is a joint state and federal effort, with about 85% of the bill being footed by Connecticut.
“That shows the commitment from our state of Connecticut to investing in rail here and getting people moving again in Connecticut,” Eucalitto said.
Eucalitto said there’s a real demand for passenger rail service.
“People in Connecticut want to use the service on the Hartford Line,” he said. “I think last year we had close to 600,000 people riding on the Hartford Line, and that’s beyond what it was pre-COVID. So the demand is there and we’ve proven the demand, and I think that’s what showed the federal government that this is a smart investment to build in Enfield.”
Eucalitto said travel times were estimated to be 23 minutes southbound to Hartford and 13 minutes northbound to Springfield, Massachusetts once service begins in 2030.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz highlighted the role the station could play in the lives of local residents.
“In this area, about 18% of the people who live here don’t have a car,” Bysiewicz said. “So to give opportunity for people to hop on a train and work in Springfield or Hartford or Windsor Locks is a really big deal.”
