Hartford Seeks to Cut Shore Line East Service
Governor Ned Lamont’s proposed trimming to service on Shore Line East (SLE) may signal the death knell of the struggling train line, according to local transportation advocates. State officials insist the cuts are necessary for a rail system that is losing ridership, while commuters and users of SLE claim schedules and service cuts are the root cause of that low ridership and that only by increasing spending will that improve.
According to CT Department of Transportation data, SLE’s ridership numbers are the lowest of the state’s three rail lines, and the line has, by a wide margin, the highest per-rider subsidies of the state’s three train lines. Projected fiscal year 2023 New Haven line subsidies are at less than six dollars, Hartford subsidies approach $60 per rider per trip, while SLE is at a whopping $132 per trip. That figure dips below $100 for fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
Another issue for those advocating cuts to the system is that SLE has only reclaimed approximately 33% of its pre-pandemic use levels, while both the New Haven and Hartford lines have seen 70% and 80% recoveries, respectively. Critics of further funding cite these figures as to why the line is faltering, while advocates point to the same data as support for their claims that further investment is the solution.
Currently, SLE is operating at 66% of pre-pandemic levels, and the state wants to reduce that further to only 44% of those levels. Opponents claim this will, in effect, close the line, as lack of service will only drive riders away, and per-rider subsidies will only increase.
Blaize Levitan, a Guilford resident and board member of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council (CCRC), a state-appointed board overseeing Connecticut’s rail system, said the entity is frustrated by the contrary stances officials appear to be arguing.
“We’ve seen on Shore Line East a slower return to the line compared to other lines, but we also have not seen, which all other lines have received, an increase in service that would bring people back. As a daily rail commuter, it is very challenging to ride Shore Line East right now. It is not convenient. Right now, at 66%, and they want to cut it even further, you routinely have two to three gaps and very poor connecting service,” said Levitan. “The fewer people we have riding, the larger the subsidies grow. We see stronger growth in these lines that have increased service.”
Levitan added that the state’s previous pre-COVID funding efforts contradict their current argument that the line needs service cuts.
“Clearly, the state saw the ridership data before COVID and had already made a multimillion-dollar investment to bring electric cars, which was a major investment. And they also made major investments in multiple stations along the line. The logic there is why would we be doing that if we didn’t see the value?” said Levitan. “Their argument seems to basically cut service until riders come back, and we know that is not going to work. There is still clearly high demand for rail…and we need to see our systems shift. It’s going to be hard to see how this doesn’t kill the line.”
Guilford First Selectman Matt Hoey said he doesn’t understand the opposition to investment in the system.
“While I fully understand the service reductions during the pandemic, but…we need to restore service levels to provide our residents with more eco and climate-friendly options for getting to destinations like New Haven through New York City,” Hoey said. “We will not get back to those levels unless full schedules are realized. Additionally, we currently have three projects underway within a half-mile of the station, one of which will be 100% affordable housing with the state-wide push in transit, and owing to development, particularly in affordable housing, limiting access to rail transportation systems seems to be in conflict with the intentions and benefits of transit-oriented development.”
Hoey added, “The service reductions are at cross purposes, especially when we talk about affordable housing. It just doesn’t make sense. Limiting people’s options to utilize that service is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The less opportunity you give people to utilize it, the less it will be used.”
State Senator Christine Cohen (D-Guilford), chair of the Transportation Committee, said she has long supported full-service restoration for Shore Line East.
“This is probably the top issue I hear about from constituents. We need to restore full service. Shore Line East is the only line in Connecticut that has not seen a substantial restoration in service to pre-pandemic levels. We are still operating at only 66% of those levels, which is really troubling. It has made it very difficult for commuters to rely on the service and the connectivity to get to where they need to go in an efficient,” said Cohen. “I do support 100% restoration. I was incredibly disappointed in February when we reviewed the governor’s budget that not only was there no restoration of Shore Line East but that there were further cuts.”
According to Cohen, officials must look at schedules and draft a plan considering how riders utilize the system.
“What we did see when we restored service to these other Connecticut lines, the subsidies dropped, as would be expected. Riders came back,” Cohen said. “But the reality in this situation is that we do need to work on schedule optimization. People’s habits have changed since the pandemic, so we really need to take a hard look at that and determine when peak times would occur and to find out how frequently we need to run trains during those new times to be determined and get it right so that our residents can get to where they need to go and have faith in this line.”
Cohen said she is perplexed by Hartford’s swing toward divestment; as recently as a year ago, Lamont was touting new cars for the line and its importance to commuters.
“What I am doing is really fighting for maintaining that bare minimum that we have right now and to try and prevent further cuts. My job is to say…we need to keep these levels the way they are now and to fight for further restoration of the line,” said Cohen. “I think the governor is really wanting to see transit-oriented development, and I couldn’t be more in agreement with that, but I believe they need to happen concurrently. So, we need to restore service and have transit options.”