Rail
Transit Development Program
In 1992 HART completed the Rail Transit Development study for HVCEO.
The study identified the need for long-range planning to promote and
advance the use of public transportation resources (such as the Danbury
Branch Line service) to relieve congestion on the highway system.
It was also reported that the public had continued expectations for
expanded and augmented public rail service and that Connecticut DOT
was presently preparing the Danbury Line for future demand. In 1990,
40% of Danbury Line trips were intrastate.
The people in the region in 1992 showed strong support for extending
rail service north to New Milford and for adding service extensions
in the I-84/Route 7 area. The study recommended capital improvements
over the next 10 years that would total $61 million if the New Milford
Station was added.
The following capital improvements were recommended
for the following years:
| 1993 |
New Danbury Station |
| 1993 |
New Bethel Station |
| 1994 |
New stations – northern extension |
| 1994 |
Centralized train control and grade crossing signals |
| 1996 |
Engineering/design for maintenance and car storage facilities |
| 1997 |
Maintenance facility |
| 1998 |
Car storage facility |
| 1998 |
Passing sidings |
| 1998-1999 |
12 new locomotives |
|
The long-range service plan also called for an additional morning
and evening peak through train to Grand Central Station for a total
of 5 peak through trains, selected main line station stops between
South Norwalk and Greenwich for intrastate riders, continued operation
of the 2 peak morning and evening reverse commute trips, and improved
off-peak and weekend service frequencies from 2 hours to 1. The study
also looked at Connecticut resident usage of Harlem Line Stations.
Competing Rail Transit Service
The study investigated the potential competition between Connecticut
and New York rail stations that occurs based on the close proximity
of the lines and the time savings that can be gained by utilizing
one over the other. Stations on the Harlem Line were surveyed to discern
the state of origination of rail riders. More than 15% (394 cars)
of the cars parked at the surveyed Harlem Line Stations had Connecticut
license plates. The largest percentage of Connecticut license plates
were found at these stations: Dover Plains, Harlem Valley/Wingdale,
Brewster, Purdy’s, and Brewster North. At least 2 Harlem stations
have significant overflow parking along the highways and roads adjacent
to the stations. The overflow problem was the greatest at Croton Falls,
Purdy’s and Goldens Bridge where more than 20% of the overflow
cars had Connecticut license plates. When counting the total number
of cars parked at the Harlem Line versus the Danbury Line Stations,
more Connecticut residents used the Harlem Line Stations.
A Westchester County report found that 10.9% of the cars parked at
Goldens Bridge and 17.2 of the cars parked at Katonah had Connecticut
license plates. The Westchester County report also found from traffic
counts along the eastern end of Route 35 that extends from Ridgefield
into Westchester County that 82.9% of the cars were from Connecticut,
many bound for Harlem Line train stations. Finally, the Westchester
County report included a rail commuter survey that identified significant
percentages of Connecticut residents who would use convenient bus
service along the Route 35 corridor to the Katonah and Goldens Bridge
Stations.
Despite the higher parking fees at the Harlem Line Stations for Connecticut
residents, most chose to use them anyway. Annual parking fees at the
Harlem Line Stations ranged from $200 to $500 for nonresidents in
1992. Connecticut residents chose to use New York Stations because
the travel times were faster and the route was more direct. The Table
below shows the differences in peak travel time by rail for the Harlem
and Danbury Lines.
Peak Travel Time (minutes) from Harlem
and Danbury Line Stations
| Harlem Line Station |
Peak Travel Time |
Danbury Line Station |
Peak Travel Time |
| Dover Plains |
122 |
Danbury |
115 |
| Harlem Valley |
112 |
Bethel |
108 |
| Pawling |
105 |
West Redding |
102 |
| Patterson |
99 |
Branchville |
95 |
| Brewster North |
88 |
Cannondale |
87 |
| Brewster |
85 |
Wilton |
82 |
| Croton Falls |
77 |
Kent Rd. |
81 |
| Purdy's |
73 |
Merritt 7 |
76 |
| Goldens Bridge |
70 |
South Norwalk |
61 |
| Katonah |
66 |
Stamford |
48 |
| Bedford Hills |
62 |
|
|
|
The peak travel time discrepancy by
location is even more obvious as shown in the map in below. 1992 Rail
Transit Development Program Map of Peak Travel Times (in minutes)
