Malloy to hear busway arguments on Monday

NEW BRITAIN – In the little strip of woods behind Fairview Cemetery , remnants of the old Highland Route rail line remain.
Rusty tracks run through the trees, bent and broken in places, and a few poles that once held glass insulators for utility lines still poke through to the sky.
Scattered along the ground are mounds of busted railroad ties, smashed bottles, odd metal contraptions, headless plastic dolls and heaps of unidentifiable garbage.
It’s been a long time since a railroad engine roared through – 1954 to be exact – but the old right of way between downtown New Britain and Newington junction is mostly intact, a forgotten bit of history that’s now at the center of controversy.
That 4.4-mile stretch would make up nearly half of the proposed busway route between the Hardware City and Hartford’s Union Station, a section that can be used either for buses or trains but not both.
For many critics of the $573 million busway plan, gobbling up the rail right of way would make it nearly impossible to create a reasonable rail commute into Hartford from New Britain and points to the west, including Bristol.
The only serious alternative route would take the trains from downtown New Britain to the southeast into the junction in Berlin, where they could proceed north again over the major line that runs from New Haven north to Massachusetts and beyond. That’s miles out of the way.
But the train option hasn’t been fully studied, let alone approved, while the busway project is ready to roll.
This is just one of many issues that Gov. Dannel Malloy will have to weigh Monday when teams of busway backers and bashers make a pitch behind closed-doors in Hartford for about 90 minutes each.
Malloy said that after hearing from both sides, he’ll decide whether to press on with busway or hit the brakes on the 9.4-mile project.  Click here for the full story.

And here's a little video that shows why it's a really good thing I never went into TV:

Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Renaissance pushes trains for downtown

Bristol Rising, the social media force created by Renaissance Downtowns to help it plan the future of the downtown, is calling on residents to rally for rail when the governor comes to town Monday.
Supporters were asked recently to prove to Gov. Dannel Malloy “our enthusiasm for having the rail here in Bristol and in this region” by turning out for the governor’s 7 p.m. town hall meeting at Bristol Eastern High School.
The president of Renaissance, Don Monti, said Friday that “the Bristol Rising crowd” has thrown itself behind the commuter rail option pushed by the Bristol-based Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce and others.
His company, too, is eager to see rail service restored in Bristol because it is convinced the long-term economic competitiveness” of Central Connecticut depends in part on the growth that rail can provide. Click here for the full story.

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Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Pro-busway group releases new video

Here's a video released this week by the Regional Plan Association's Connecticut office touting the proposed busway between Hartford and New Britain:



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Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Rail advocates speak out at state Capitol

Here's a video that the state Senate Republicans made on Friday featuring a couple of commuter rail advocates who came to speak in favor of state Sen. Jason Welch's bill to shift state money to the proposed commuter rail line between Hartford and Waterbury instead of the busway pushed by the state Department of Transportation. Take a look.




Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Rell takes aim at commuter rail lines

A proposal by Gov. M. Jodi Rell to cut Metro North commuter train service on the New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury branch lines is likely to run off the rails.
The plan, part of the governor’s plan to come up with $38 million for more heating assistance, has run into a storm of protest in Bristol and across much of the state.
“It is cynical of the governor to propose shutting down branch line rail service just as a way of getting lawmakers’ attention to the issue of funding the state’s emergency heating program,” said Jim Cameron, the head of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council.
Cameron said Saturday everyone wants fellow citizens “to stay warm this winter” but looking for funding by wiping out rail funding isn’t the answer.
Cutting off the commuter rail lines starting April 1 would save the state $5 million through the end of June, according to Rell’s list of proposed funding cuts.
“It’s silly,” said Mike Nicastro, who heads the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce.
He said the legislature is unlikely to cut the Waterbury line, “the fastest-growing branch line in the state.”  Click here for full story.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Busway cost is higher than anticipated

The projected cost of the busway between Hartford and New Britain doesn’t include the tab for two new bridges that are vital to the $573 million plan.
Though rebuilding the Cedar Street bridge in Newington will add only $2.5 million to the tab, a plan to put a new bridge over the busway and rail lines at Flatbush Avenue in West Hartford may add another $45 million to the bottom line, according to the engineers overseeing the busway project.
Counting the bridges, which are linked to the project but carried separately on the state Department of Transportation’s books, the 9.4-mile busway’s cost to taxpayers could exceed $615 million.
At a Tuesday morning hearing in West Hartford, transportation officials said they are plunging forward with the busway plan. They said the first bids, for utility work, will be opened in January and construction should be underway in April.
“It’s full steam ahead until we’re told otherwise,” said Richard Armstrong, the principal engineer on the project. A link to the full story will be posted when it is available.

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Busway critics pin hopes on Malloy

Critics of the proposed busway between New Britain and Hartford have new hope they can hit the brakes on the $573 million plan.
But supporters of the project – which would create nearly 1,000 construction jobs – say the 9.4-mile roadway must go forward.
“We’re full steam ahead,” Mayor Timothy Stewart of New Britain said Monday.
Two transportation-related items that critics hope may sway Gov.-elect Dan Malloy to kill the controversial busway are a new scheme to reconstruct Interstate 84 through Hartford and the legislature’s failure to approve a plan to replace Hartford’s Broad Street bridge.
For Stewart, the issues are designed “to create controversy just to muddy the waters” and have no merit.
He said Malloy “would be kind of silly” to shelve the busway project, losing $100 million in the process and making it likely the federal government won’t shovel any more transportation money to Connecticut.
Critics argue, however, that a commuter rail alternative can be done within a reasonable time frame at lesser cost. They said they’re sure the federal government, which is pushing rail, would back it. Click here to see the full story.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Griebel lays out case for busway

Former Republican gubernatorial contender Oz Griebel, who heads a business group in Hartford, makes the case for the proposed $573 million busway between Hartford and New Britain in this column.
By the way, if you're a Facebook friend of mine, you can read an interesting exchange on the busway on my wall. (If you're not a friend, look me up - Steve Majerus-Collins - and I'll add you.)
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

New Haven Register blasts busway

The New Haven Register has jumped on board the anti-busway bandwagon.
In an editorial today, The paper called the proposed $573 million busway between Hartford and New Britain has become "a cost that has become impossible to justify."
"The project’s huge cost would siphon money from needed repair and maintenance of the state’s bridges and roads," the paper said.
From the perspective of the anti-busway crusade led by the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce in Bristol, this marks an important new ally from somewhere else in the state.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Bristol, New Britain chambers fight over busway

Don't miss this column by the head of the New Britain Chamber of Commerce, William Millerick, an old newspaper hand.
Millerick said that stopping the busway has become "an obsession" with the Bristol chamber.
"Even people in Bristol shake their heads at the amount of time, energy and now money that is being spent by the Bristol chamber to stop a busway in New Britain," Millerick wrote.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Busway foes launch campaign to block $573 million road

Critics of the proposed $573 million busway between Hartford and New Britain have launched a media campaign to derail the plan.
The campaign, which includes advertising and a social networking effort, is sponsored by the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce along with National Corridors, the Sierra Club of Connecticut and Rails*Trains*Ecology*Cycling,
“What better time than election season?” said Mike Nicastro, who heads the chamber.
The group is urging state leaders to hit the brakes on plans to construct a dedicated 9-mile road that would serve only buses. It says the scheme is too costly and the route would strangle commuter rail in the region by snatching the old rail right of way from New Britain to Newington.
The state Department of Transportation backs the busway, it says, because it is the best way to reduce growing congestion in Interstate 84. The busway also offers development opportunities along its route, supporters say. Click here for the full story.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Busway has "no value" for Bristol, downtown chief says

The proposed busway between Hartford and New Britain would block the development of commuter rail in Bristol and create “absolutely no value” for the Mum City’s revitalization efforts downtown, according to the head of the Bristol Downtown Development Corp.

Frank Johnson, Bristol’s downtown chief, said he would like to see a transportation center that includes commuter rail as part of the plan to remake the former mall site.

Though state transportation officials insist that it’s too late to stop the busway, a number of Bristol officials are still pushing to kill the $573 million scheme to build a new 9-mile roadway for the exclusive use of buses.

“I don’t want to let this railway go,” said Mary Alford, a member of the city’s Transportation Commission. “I don’t want to throw in the towel.”

Construction on the busway is slated to begin as early as next year with the federal government picking up 80 percent of its cost.

I'll post a link to the rest of the story when it's available.

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Busway an afterthought on high speed rail push

Press release from Gov. Jodi Rell's office:

Governor Rell Announces $260 Million in Bonding for New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Rail Line

            Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that $260 million in state funding for a dramatic upgrade of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail corridor is expected to gain approval when the state Bond Commission meets August 11 in Hartford.

            The ultimate goal is high-speed intercity rail service on the 62-mile line within five years. The $260 million in state funding would be matched against an application being filed for $220 million in federal funding. Connecticut is working jointly with Massachusetts and Vermont to expand service through the heart ofNew England.

            “Just a few months ago, we were proud to host U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for a tour of the tracks right next to us,” Governor Rell said during a news conference at the historic Wallingford train station, built in 1871. “We rode from New Haven to Hartford on an Amtrak conference car because we wanted Secretary LaHood to see the same thing we do – the promise and the potential of this rail line.

            “For as long as I have been Governor, I have had two major goals: To keep and grow jobs in our state and to improve Connecticut’s transportation network,” the Governor said. “In the case of this project, the first goal blends seamlessly into the second, because our roads, our airports and our rail lines are the arteries that carry our economic lifeblood. Moving people and products ensures the health of our economy.

            “After visiting us last April and hearing our plans, Secretary LaHood was impressed,” Governor Rell said. “The phrase he used was, ‘Connecticut has its act together.’ Well, he’s right – we do have our act together. And working with our regional partners and putting this money in place now shows Washingtonthat we are serious about moving this project forward. It’s fair to say that high-speed rail is the most important transportation initiative since the creation of the interstate highway system more than 50 years ago. In the short term, this will improve service, provide better mobility and decrease traffic congestion. In the long term, travel times will decrease, jobs will be created and our environment and overall economy will benefit.”

            It is expected that the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield line will:

• Reduce the number of vehicles on roads by approximately 4,000 cars each day
• Increase the connectivity of rail and bus systems at all train stations, including the proposed Hartford-New Britain Busway
• Foster better linkages between Bradley International Airport and the region
• Generate close to 4,000 jobs
• Create opportunities for transit-oriented development at rail stations along the line
• Save 1 billion gallons of fossil fuel annually
• Reduce carbon emissions by over 10,000 tons a year

             “The improvements in this corridor will include modifications to existing stations, construction of new stations and improved rail and freight service – both in efficiency and frequency,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Jeffrey A. Parker. “Multi-state collaboration amongConnecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont continues to be the driving force behind competing for and receiving additional federal funding.”

            The Governor thanked House Speaker Chris Donovan for his staunch advocacy of the project.

“The high speed rail project will remove one of the great impediments to economic growth in Connecticut – traffic congestion along the corridor. With high speed rail, our economic future improves exponentially and we can move forward with renewed confidence on a project that can create jobs and position Connecticut for sustained future growth,” House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan said. "I am grateful for the Governor's leadership on this project. Approval by the Bond Commission of these funds tells the federal government that we are committed to moving a project with enormous economic ramifications for Connecticut and the Northeast forward.”

Earlier this year, Connecticut received $40 million in federal funding for the construction of double-tracking on a 10-mile stretch of the corridor betweenNewington and Berlin.

            There will be a public meeting on the environmental aspects of the project on Thursday, July 29, at 6 p.m. at Union Station in Hartford. The draft Environmental Review Document can be found online at www.nhhsrail.com.

The 124-page environmental review document contains exactly one mention of the proposed busway between Hartford and New Britain:


Transit ‐ Local transit services are provided by various transit agencies throughout the
study area, and regional bus service is provided by private services including Greyhound/Peter Pan, DATTCO and Arrow bus companies. To integrate local transit into the rail service plan will necessitate inclusion of two and four bus stalls at each station, with two additional stalls at Windsor Locks to provide an express shuttle to Bradley International Airport. Bus stalls for private services at the current rail stations will be maintained. New Britain – Hartford Busway buses will be integrated into station planning through that project planning and design.

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Zydanowicz says to take the train

Press release:

Mark Zydanowicz Supports Local Rail  West Hartford - Mark Zydanowicz of West Hartford, Connecticut  release a statement supporting railroad in the Greater Central Connecticut.  The current plan is to tear up approximately nine miles of existing rail bed and to create a concrete walled  "bus way" to facilitate commuter service between New Britain and Hartford. "Once the rail bed is taken for a bus way, it is lost forever.

Zydanowicz: Stop railroading the "Rail Road" West Hartford CT Republican 1st Congressional Candidate Mark Zydanowicz said today, "The only transportation solution that makes sense is improved connectivity of rail lines within the Greater Central Connecticut region for both passenger and freight service" After studying the issue and attending a hearing last week at the State Capital, Zydanowicz has joined the fight to stop the nine mile $600 million proposed bus way that will increase rider ship from the current level of 11,000 per day to 15,000. "Do the math", Zydanowicz said, "The biggest problem I have with this proposal is not only the cost but it does little to help economic development along the proposed route. A rail solution costs about $1million per mile and has a much broader return on investment and commerce" he said. The current plan is to tear up approximately nine miles of existing rail bed and to create aconcrete walled "bus way" to facilitate commuter service between New Britain and Hartford. "Why not facilitate commuter and freight service not only between Hartford and New Britain, but between the entire Central Connecticut corridor increasing access to New York City and Boston by the use of rail"? Zydanowicz asked. "Once the rail bed is taken for a bus way, it is lost forever. We lose the opportunity for a much more feasible rail solution. If elected I will act swiftly to create traction for a rail solution, both freight and passenger to better serve the needs of the 1st District and Connecticut. Zydanowicz concluded.

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

High speed rail could boost Central Connecticut's fortunes

Central Connecticut could get a big economic boost if plans to create high speed rail between New Haven and Springfield, Mass. by 2016 come to fruition, officials said Monday.

Creating the high speed corridor would lead to more investments in the region that are bound to lead to more jobs and growth, said state Sen. Donald DeFronzo, the New Britain Democrat who is co-chair of the transportation committee.

DeFronzo said it would mean a lot to the area if residents could get on a train and be in New York City in a couple of hours for a reasonable fee.

State leaders, including DeFronzo, met behind closed doors Monday morning with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood to discuss the prospects for snagging federal money to boost the high speed rail line that would run through Berlin and Newington.

“This is one issue that we are all together on,” said U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, a Democrat who’s retiring this year.

Dodd said that if the state meets the required timetables for studies and other work along the way, construction could begin in 2014 and the entire project could be finished in 2016. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

A thoroughly questionable statement

Not to pick a fight or anything, but take a look at state Department of Transportation's spokesman Kevin Nursick's comment today in defending the proposed busway between Hartford and New Britain.
Nursick said the busway project is one of the best examples in the country of a "thoroughly planned, thoroughly studied and thoroughly vetted transportation project."
That's pretty questionable.
Go back to the original study that put the busway at the top of the agenda rather than commuter rail or some other option. That study -- the one that was supposedly so thorough -- never gave even a passing thought to the commuting needs of Bristol or Plymouth, towns that together have more population than New Britain.
The study simply ignored all of us.
What really happened is the artificial planning lines of the regional government agencies created a truncated study that failed to take into account many of the issues that actually exist.
Since then, even the towns along the bus corridor -- particularly West Hartford and Newington -- have decided they don't particularly want the busway. But it just keeps chugging along anyway, waiting for the day when the plans turn into yet another strip of asphalt in a region that doesn't lack for roads.
I have no idea whether rail is viable or not. It may be a dumb way to go. Honestly, the issue really hasn't been studied.
Yet it is perfectly obvious that if this busway is an example of a thoroughly planned, studied and vetted project, there's something thoroughly wrong with the whole system that decides what projects get done.
Even Michael Sanders, who's heading the effort to build the busway, said today that the last study looking at rail was done a decade ago -- and only looked at the prospects for rail service between Plainville and Hartford.
Sanders also said that it's not the busway foes who have been disingenous: it's everyone.
"Both sides are disingenuous," Sanders said. "We need to find a place in the middle."
That seems reasonable -- a lot more so that Nursick, who called only the busway critics disingenuous.
So maybe we can all agree that what's really disingenuous is for public relations people paid by taxpayers to take sides instead of sticking to the facts.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Busway battles rage on

Several stories worth catching:

Restoring rail to the region instead of paving a nine-mile busway between Hartford and New Britain is an environmentally friendly alternative, the Sierra Club said in an Earth Day press conference. CLICK HERE FOR STORY

The effort to block the proposed busway between Hartford and New Britain picked up the backing of two top Republican candidates Thursday.
“The future is rail — and high-speed rail at that,” said 1st District congressional hopeful Mark Zydanowicz.
Jason Welch, who is angling to snatch the 31st District state Senate seat, said the busway “is not a bad idea. It’s just not the best idea.” CLICK HERE FOR STORY

A recent spate of statements against the New Britain-Hartford busway by Bristol officials and political hopefuls prompted one state Department of Transportation official to describe them as “selfish” and not reflecting “the best interests of the state.”
DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick said the busway project is one of the best examples in the country of a “thoroughly planned, thoroughly studied and thoroughly vetted transportation project,” and to indicate otherwise would be disingenuous. CLICK HERE FOR STORY
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Welch says no to busway, yes to rail

Press release issued this morning by Republican state Senate candidate Jason Welch:

Welch for State Senate Addresses Regional Transportation

BRISTOL, CT – Welch for State Senate released the following statement on commuter rail in central Connecticut:

The old Yankee saying is that “you can’t get there from here,” and that saying is especially true for those of us living in Bristol.  A congested route 6, a half constructed route 72 and no major thoroughfare through the city are serious impediments to bringing jobs back to the region.  This is why we need to fight to bring commuter rail back to Bristol.  Providing effective and efficient transportation is one of government’s legitimate purposes, but that purpose has been neglected in Bristol for the past 18 years.

The reality is that Connecticut is the fourth most densely populated state.  We need, therefore, a transportation infrastructure that can sensibly support such a dense population.  The best solution is the return of commuter rail to the 31^st District: rail to Hartford and rail to New York City.  Commuter rail will make the district more attractive to new residents, boost home values, help keep critical businesses such as ESPN in the area and provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to start and locate businesses here.  All of this means more jobs in greater Bristol.

Though a busway from New Britain to Hartford might be a good fix to some of central Connecticut’s transportation problems, it is not the best.  And government ought not to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on anything less than the best.

My voice is another voice for commuter rail.  It is the common sense solution to our transportation problems.  Commuter rail will serve more people and cost less than the New Britain-Hartford busway.  It will also alleviate one of the major impediments to bringing jobs back to Bristol, namely a lack of efficient transportation to and from the area.

We must do everything we can to support rail.  Jason will attend today’s press conference in Room 1A of the Legislative Office Building at 11:30.

Jason Welch seeks to be the Republican nominee to the State Senate race for the 31^st District, which includes Bristol, Plainville, Plymouth and parts of Harwinton.

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Anti-busway group to form

A new Alliance to promote commuter rail -- and oppose the proposed busway between Hartford and New Britain -- is slated to be unveiled Thursday morning.
Two state representatives, Republican Bill Hamzy and Democrat Frank Nicastro, are joining forces with the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce and the Connecticut Sierra Club to push for rail.
They're holding a press conference at 11:30 a.m. Thursday in Room 1A of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford to disclose details.
Clearly, the battle to stop the $573 million busway is not quite over.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Busway gathers more support, for better or worse

Many in Bristol are disappointed that House Speaker Chris Donovan of Meriden and environmental activists yesterday jumped aboard the proposed $573 million busway between Hartford and New Britain.
Donovan said the fight to block the busway is over.
Well, maybe.
Environmentalists bought the tale that a state study back in the 1990s found the busway to be the most cost-effective solution to congestion in the region.
But that's only partly true.
The study never even looked at Bristol or anywhere west of New Britain -- the very area served by the rail line.
It also laid out a fairly small price difference between rail and the busway. At the time, the busway was cheaper at $80 million or so. But the price tag has skyrocketed.
It's not clear that the price of rail has risen nearly as much. It could well be that a more environmentally friendly option -- rail -- would serve more riders in a wider region and cost less.
The truth is that nobody knows if that's so. It will take a comprehensive study to find out.
But if the busway goes ahead, the utility of rail immediately plummets. And Bristol will wind up with nothing, rail advocates insist.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com