Community Corner
Meriden, Central CT, Moves Closer to Metro North-Style Train Travel
The state is replacing traffic signals in towns between New Haven and Springfield that have Amtrak stops — including Meriden.
As federal officials work out a plan to create a high speed rail line between Springfield and New Haven, the state is already making some changes to the local rail lines.
The Hartford Courant reported that the state is digging up signal cables in several Amtrak-serve communities in the central part of Connecticut, including Meriden, and workers are placing new cables beneath the soil.
This is expected to cause delays for up to 15 minutes at a time in some of these local towns.
The Courant noted that state Department of Transportation officials are hoping to increate local train traffic from six times a day to 17 times a day, allowing for a more "Metro North-style" rail service in this part of the state.
Much of this is being done in preparation for the federal government's plan to create a 115 mph high speed train service from New Haven to Springfield. The rail service is expected to open in 2016 and the federal government has since released the $121 million needed to fund the project.
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