John Hartwell for CT State Senate - Home

Going nowhere fast: Danbury Branch study a decade away from action

Wilton Bulletin
^{Written by Jeff Yates
Thursday, June 26, 2008}

Commuters looking for a fix to their Danbury Branch woes will likely have to wait some time ‚" at the least three years " before seeing much, or any, improvement.

Andy Davis, the Department of Transportation project manager, makes a presentation regarding the Danbury Branch

^{Andy Davis, the Department of Transportation project manager, makes a presentation regarding the Danbury Branch}

During a hearing on phase two of the line's Electrification Feasibility Study, at which Department of Transportation and other study team members discussed the five alternatives being considered to improve the line, commuters, town officials and four candidates for state offices gave their two cents on possible improvements.

While the new signaling system for the branch, which will allow for more frequent trains, should be completed in three years, results of the current study will likely not be seen for another 10 to 15 years, officials said. And that's only if money is set aside to pay for the project.

Train study rides slow track

Extending Danbury branch line into New Milford among options under consideration

^{Danbury News Times 6/18/08}
^{By Dirk Perrefort
Staff Writer}

John Hartwell, Jason Bartlett & David Stevenson and a commuter at Bethel station

DANBURY -- Options to expand service on Metro-North Railroad's Danbury branch line are the focus of a just-launched study that state and federal officials discussed Tuesday in City Hall.

They include extending the line to New Milford and even electrifying it.

Other options in state Department of Transportation's Phase 2 study include partial electrification, improving the line without changing the infrastructure, and adding stations in Brookfield and New Milford.

DOT officials said the study will take about three years to complete. The final report will outline which option, or combination of options, will be pursued.

Then the improvements can be designed and money found to pay for them, which could take several more years.