Malloy favors rail, doubts busway

The proposed $573 million busway between New Britain and Hartford suffered another blow last night when Democratic gubernatorial contender Dan Malloy told Bristol Democrats he prefers rail.
"The busway leaves you guys out, which is really inexplicable," Malloy told the Democratic Town Committee.
"I want a railroad," Malloy said that would run from Waterbury to Bristol to Hartford -- and beyond.
"That's what we need," Malloy said.
Later, Malloy told me that while he likes buses, he loves railroads.
He said a rail line from Waterbury to Hartford would be a lot cheaper than the proposed busway and serve more people.
But he stopped short of saying he'd pull the plug on the busway.
Malloy, a former mayor of Stamford, said he would follow the lead of state Sen. Donald DeFronzo, a New Britain Democrat, about how best to proceed.
"I'm going to listen very closely to him," Malloy said, because DeFronzo -- a rail fan -- is extremely knowledgeable about the state's transportation needs.
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