CT: Amtrak carried a record number of passengers on routes through Connecticut

More people than ever are riding Amtrak, with Connecticut routes seeing some of the biggest gains.

The three of the busiest Amtrak routes running through Connecticut — the Acela, Northeast Regional and New Haven-Springfield line — achieved record ridership in the most recent fiscal year, according to a spokesman for the national rail service.

A fourth route, the Vermonter, saw its busiest year since 2005.

The Washington-to-Boston Northeast Regional service and its high-speed counterpart, Acela, saw increases of 18% and 9.4%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

More than 14 million people combined traveled along the corridor last year, by far the busiest inter-city passenger route in the country. (Ridership statistics announced by Amtrak on Tuesday were not broken down by destination or point of departure).

"Breaking our ridership record is just the beginning," Amtrak Chief Executive Officer Stephen Gardner said in a statement Tuesday. "This record ridership shows that travelers throughout the U.S. want efficient travel options, and we are committed to meeting that demand. Through bold investments, strong partnerships with states and host railroads, and dedicated planning, we are doubling down on our vision to connect more people and communities like never before."

Locally, the biggest increase in riders came on the New Haven-Springfield route that runs alongside the Connecticut Department of Transportation's Hartford Line. That service carried 577,133 riders in fiscal 2024, a 30.6% increase. The Vermonter, which also shares the same tracks on its way from Washington to St. Albans, carried 109,136 riders, an increase of 12.2%.

Both the New Haven-Springfield and Vermonter routes are partially state supported, relying on $10.6 million in annual funding from Connecticut.

The Hartford Line is also on track to break its own ridership record in 2024, according to state DOT officials. The route, which launched in 2018, has carried 678,551 riders through the first ten months of this year — just 20,000 less than in all of last year, when the previous record was set. (Tickets for the Hartford Line can be used on both state-operated and Amtrak trains, and these figures include both).

Unlike most other commuter rail services in Connecticut, the Hartford Line has surpassed its pre-pandemic levels over the last year.

In a statement on Wednesday, DOT spokesman Josh Morgan said the success of the line has also spurred economic development and construction along its stations in Meriden, Windsor Locks and Berlin.

"We saw the popularity prior to COVID, and continue to exceed expectations to this day," Morgan said. "The Hartford Line is not only providing travelers with an alternate method of traveling through Connecticut, but it is spurring investment in our communities."

The revelation of the latest ridership statistics was not coupled with the announcement of any immediate increases in service through Connecticut, though Amtrak pointed to the billions of dollars being spent to upgrade infrastructure, reduce bottlenecks and launch newer, faster trains in the next few years.

Long term, officials said that Amtrak aims to double its current ridership to serve 66 million people by 2040.

Many of the projects underway to improve service are located in Connecticut, including track and signal repairs and the replacement of aging, movable bridges over rivers in Norwalk, Stratford and Old Saybrook.

The Federal Railroad Administration awarded matching funds for an additional $422.7 million in rail projects last month, including the installation of a second segment of tracks along a portion of the Harford Line to allow more frequent service.

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