The state rail plan ensures Connecticut complies with the federal Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, according to a DOT statement. Work on the new plan began in 2021 and several public hearings were held in the past year. State officials previously touted ambitions outlined in the plan, including decreasing travel time to New York by 25 minutes and potentially connecting Connecticut riders with New York’s Penn Station. A 2021 statewide Rail Improvements Economic Impact Study conducted by the Capitol Region Council of Governments and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, found that there has been a disinvestment in rail connectivity over the last 30 years, according to the plan. Additionally, DOT plans to invest in infrastructure improvements that will allow freight trains to increase service. To implement the plan’s initiatives, nearly $13 billion will be invested into the state’s rail system over the next five years. Of the $12.7 billion, $8.7 billion is for the New Haven line; $12.5 million for the Danbury line; $120 million for Waterbury and $921 million for Hartford, and “many more millions of dollars along the corridor,” Leone said.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Connecticut-rail-plan-economy-17564062.php