New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
State funds Waterbury branch rail station upgrades
Grant to cover work in Ansonia, Seymour and elsewhere
ANSONIA — The Metro-North train station downtown, with its lack of accessibility and amenities, leaves quite a bit to be desired.
“It’s like a bus stop, a glorified bus stop,” Corporation Counsel John Marini said.
But that’s about to change. Mayor David Cassetti announced recently a $30 million grant from the state Department of Transportation for accessibility and amenity improvements at three train stations on the Waterbury branch. The money will specifically be used for upgrades to the platforms for easier train boarding for people with mobility issues.
The stations, in Ansonia, Seymour and Beacon Falls, will also receive other improvements. Local, regional and state officials hailed the funding as a way to help improve service and ridership on the line.
Seymour First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis said in a statement on social media the money will also go towards heated platforms and hand rails.
“This is great news for our long-neglected rail stations,” she wrote. “These improvements are going to enhance the livability and walkability of our downtown, attracting visitors and residents working and living in the Valley.”
The stations as they are now, aren’t easy to make their way around, according to Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments Executive Director Rick Dunne,
“I’m sure we’ve received concerns from advocates who represent disabled persons at the state and we’ve received on the Waterway branch, my previous years, because you actually need to be assisted,” Dunne said.
Ansonia Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley said the stations each will receive $10 million for improvements. Ansonia, O’Malley said, hopes to install ticket kiosks to eliminate riders having to purchase tickets on the train.
“You might be able to purchase (tickets) in advance,” she said. “It would be a real facelift for our train station.”
Dunne said there is still design work to do, but once work begins, the project should take about 24 months.
While the improvements will take time to implement, state Rep. Kara Rochelle, who represents Ansonia and Derby, said she’s excited. She noted the state had been interested in revitalizing the area with improved rail service since 2019, her first year in office. She credited Transportation Committee Chair Roland Lemar, and said she was looking forward to the revitalized station’s grand opening.
“I can’t wait to cut a ribbon with everyone,” Rochelle said.
The improvements are especially important for the Naugatuck Valley since the area doesn’t have much in the way of public transit. Dunne noted bus service between Valley towns is poor. Traveling without a car from Derby to Waterbury he said, would be hard due to the lack of inter-municipality service.
The upgrades would make it easier for residents with mobility issues to make their way around the area, he said. The lower Valley towns also have significant elderly populations, which will also benefit from the improvements, as will commuters, according to Dunne.
“We want to make sure that all of the investments that are spent by the federal government, spent by the State of Connecticut, they don’t just get spent on rich towns, they get spent on all towns,” Dunne said. “And investments in the Waterbury branch plan ensure that we’re making investments for regular working people.” The Ansonia station has previously received a $389,000 grant in 2018 for improvements including handicap accessible curb cuts and enhanced lighting. Last year, federal, state and local officials announced an additional track, new trains and more stations would be part of the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill.
But while the stations are set to receive improvements, Jim Gildea, a Derby resident and the chair of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council which advocates for rail users, said it’s important to combine the upgrades with improvements to shelters and waiting areas. Still, he praised the announcement, calling it exciting, and saying the improvements would bring the local Waterbury branch stations up to par with other Metro-North lines.
What he would really like to see, though, is a new train fleet.
“Commuters along the Waterbury branch sit in among the oldest cars in the fleet. And moving forward with securing a new fleet is a critical component of modernizing this branch and bringing it successfully into the future,” Gildea said.