CT: $3M boost for Shore Line East rail service proposed in latest budget plan from CT Democrats

A legislative spending plan would provide about $22 million more for the state Department of Transportation than Gov. Ned Lamont's budget proposal, including $3 million to increase rail service on Shore Line East.

The state legislature's Appropriations Committee advanced the plan Tuesday.

Lamont recommended $1.033 billion in total appropriated funding for DOT, a $32 million increase from the state's adopted biennial budget. The Appropriations Committee has proposed $1.055 billion in total appropriations, a $54 million increase.

State lawmakers, especially those from southeastern Connecticut, for the last several years have pushed for service on the Shore Line East rail line to return to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Lamont's budget plan for fiscal year 2027, which begins July 1, would maintain current service.

The potential impact of the proposed additional funding wasn't immediately clear. When asked how it would affect the number of trains running on Shore Line East, Chris Collibee, a spokesperson for Lamont's budget office, said the administration couldn't comment "as we are still working through the budget."

The Democratic-controlled legislature's leadership is now expected to negotiate a final budget with the Democratic governor before the regular session ends May 6.

The legislative plan keeps in place a proposal by the administration to bring diesel trains back to Shore Line East, which is expected to save the state $8.8 million per year.

DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto has said that using electric trains on the line is costly because the state must pay Amtrak — which owns the rail infrastructure east of New Haven — to draw power from the wires above the tracks.

State Sen. Christine Cohen, D- Guilford, the Senate chair of the legislature's Transportation Committee and a proponent of increasing service on Shore Line East, applauded the Appropriation Committee's proposed funding increase but said the state needs to invest even more in the line.

"I'm really glad to see this investment into Shore Line East, as this is a critical resource for commuters in my district and across the (Interstate) 95 corridor," Cohen said in a statement.

"That said, we really need to be making more significant investments into Shore Line East in order to increase service and attract prepandemic ridership levels," she added. " Shore Line East is so important for commuters, for small businesses, for decreasing carbon emissions and for increasing connectivity across the state's shoreline, and I will continue to advocate for the investment it deserves."

About 247,000 people rode on Shore Line East trains last year, down from about 660,000 in 2019, according to DOT data. In 2019, there were 222 trains running on the line each week. Now, there are 132 trains per week. Other rail lines in the state have nearly returned to prepandemic levels or exceeded them.

When asked about Shore Line East's service levels, the Lamont administration has pointed to how much Shore Line East is subsidized compared with other transit options in the state.

In terms of bus services, the budgets proposed by both the Appropriations Committee and Lamont administration would provide $2.5 million to DOT for reduced CTtransit fares for students and veterans, and $1 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for free bus passes for veterans.

Diverging from Lamont, the Appropriations Committee's plan includes $10.5 million for a one-year extension of a pilot program for microtransit services in different parts of the state. Lamont didn't include funding for such an extension in his budget proposal. A bill to continue the program received an outpouring of support at a public hearing held by the Transportation Committee.

The plan approved by the Appropriations Committee also would provide $7.6 million to cover a budget shortfall at the Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority. Without the funding, GBTA has said it would need to cut services by 30%.

In addition, under an "other expenses" account, the committee's plan would provide $500,000 for costs DOT incurs when clearing homeless encampments on state property, and a separate $500,000 would go toward a memorial to honor transportation workers who died on the job.

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