Mary Johnson Photo
Overview of the tracks with the kiss and go area to the left.
Citing its asset to the town and beyond, state and local officials snipped the bright blue ribbon and declared the newly expanded Branford Train Station officially open.
However, not surprisingly, the station will not be fully operational until Saturday, Nov. 5. Delays in this railroad project have been a recurring theme since it got underway in 2013.
A one-track only railroad in Branford meant fewer trains and fewer commuters. Now many more travelers will have the opportunity to ride the rail from New Haven to Branford, Guilford, Madison, Clinton, Westbrook, Old Saybrook and New London. Connections elsewhere, especially to New York via Metro-North’s New Haven Line and Amtrak are available at New Haven’s Union Station. More information on the rail line is available at www.shorelineeast.com.
This same project also included extending the northbound platform at the Guilford Shore Line East station, the next station north of Branford.
Mary Johnson Photo
On hand for the traditional ribbon-cutting occasion were Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redecker, Chief of DOT’s Bureau of Public Transportation Richard Andreski, Branford First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove, state Sen. Ted Kennedy, Jr., and state Reps. Lonnie Reed and Sean Scanlon.
Cosgrove opened the event, saying, “The train station expansion means a lot… it’s an asset to the town and will be an integral part of redevelopment.”
Investing in Public Transportation
Malloy said, “This is a vital link to the shoreline corridor… 3,000 commuters use it each day. He added that the station will be “more enticing to commuters” and that it’s necessary for Connecticut to have a strong economy.” He said he hoped this would “reverse the last of investment in infrastructure, which has deteriorated in the last 40 years.
Mary Johnson Photo
Malloy paused as a train passed adjacent to the platform.
“You should be able to live in Connecticut without a car,” he said.
“This is the biggest rail corridor in the United States,” said Kennedy. “It will impact a big part of economic development. Easy access to railways helps Branford residents commute to work and attracts visitors to our town so that they can visit our many local restaurants and businesses.” Kennedy added that the station is now “fully (ADA) accessible.”
Reed dubbed the station, the “Lionel train station,” referring to the popular model train series. She said she commuted to New York for years, departing from “the sad little shed” that was the original railroad station. “Mass transit is important to economic growth,” she said. “We need to be doing more of this.”
Scanlon noted that 615,000 riders used Shore Line East in 2015. “This area of town is on the rise and the new and improved station coupled with a recent state grant to boost transit oriented development is just what we need to help the town continue making progress when it comes to economic development in Branford.”
The often-delayed project began in May 2013 with original completion scheduled for October 2014. Contributing to the delays were property acquisition issues, a tough 2014 winter, delay in receiving parts from Europe for the elevators, and a delay in the installation of the TAMS. A briefing in August addressed problems causing the delay in the opening.
The expansion includes a new platform on the northbound side with an up and over pedestrian walkway made ADA compliant via elevators, a state-of-the-art Train Approach Messaging System (TAMS), a bicycle parking area, “kiss and go” access, and additional parking on Meadow Street access from there.
Expansion of the parking lot was completed in June 2011, making for a total of about 375 parking spaces. Parking remains free at the station, despite murmurings that a fee may be charged in the future.
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