HARTFORD — The Hartford Line, the train service from New Haven to Springfield, has had more than a million riders in its first 18 months, more than officials had forecast.
Governor Ned Lamont said data from the Hartford Line shows that more than one million riders have utilized the commuter rail service since its launch on June 18, 2018. The one-millionth ride occurred during the busy Thanksgiving travel period in late November.
Officials said ridership has been growing at a rate of 25 percent year-over-year. “Now a year and a half into its operations, the rail line is on track to exceed 750,000 passenger trips during its second year – outpacing the 666,960 passenger trips originally forecast,” said a release from Lamont’s office.
Lamont’s office hopes to see improvements in service on the line, including proposals in the CT2030 transportation plan that include:
- Add a second line of rail tracks along the Hartford Line in the area north of Hartford to increase the frequency of service in the region;
- Add new train stations in Enfield and Windsor Locks;
- Create a connection from the new Windsor Locks train station directly to Bradley International Airport; and
- Add new digital displays at each Hartford Line station to provide real-time passenger information regarding train times and each train’s origin and destination.
“We’ve been breaking ridership records since opening weekend,” Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti said. “This new service is a huge win for the state. The Hartford Line helps both the Connecticut economy by creating jobs and spurring transit oriented development, while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion on our highways.”
The following chart represents the monthly statistics for the Hartford Line since its launch:
MONTH PASSENGER COUNT
June 18 to June 30, 2018 — 22,050
July 2018 — 49,300
August 2018 — 48,948
September 2018 — 47,903
October 2018 — 57,967
November 2018 — 61,406
December 2018 — 56,746
January 2019 — 48,529
February 2019 — 48,190
March 2019 — 57,161
April 2019 — 59,347
May 2019 — 61,749
June 2019 — 61,054
July 2019 — 61,844
August 2019 — 65,149
September 2019 — 64,024
October 2019 — 69,045
November 2019 — 70,551
December 2019 — 64,596
TOTAL 1,075,559
