Rep. O’Dea, NC First Selectman Moynihan Ask Transportation Committee to Support Investment in New Canaan Branch Line

HARTFORD – State Representative Tom O’Dea (R-New Canaan, Wilton), Deputy Republican Leader-at-Large and a member of the Transportation Committee, welcomed First Selectman Kevin Moynihan (R-New Canaan) to the Legislative Office Building on Monday where the town’s top elected official met with area legislators and testified before the Transportation Committee on the need to invest in the New Canaan Branch Line.

“I am here to speak on this bill because New Canaan needs help with improving our Metro North commuter service.” Said First Selectman Moynihan during his remarks before the committee. “Metro North is an economic lifeline for New Canaan, as well as for many residents of North Stamford, Norwalk, Wilton, and bordering towns in New York State. More than 2,500 New Canaan residents commute to NYC on Metro North daily, as well as several hundred from surrounding towns who park at one of our two New Canaan Metro North stations. I commuted to Manhattan for 29 years on Metro North, so I know something about the experience. When I was commuting on the New Canaan branch line, travel time to Grand Central was about one hour seven minutes. Today, that time has increased to one hour seventeen minutes partially due to the federally mandated slow-down of trains, but also because of Metro North’s scheduling, which has really degraded service on the branch line. As a result, New Canaan’s real estate market is suffering severely – our Grand List was down $600 million last year, and we may be looking at another 20 percent decline in property values. There is a direct correlation with poor train service to New York City.”

Continued First Selectman Moynihan, “There are NYC residents who look to move to New Canaan, but they are concerned about the commuter transportation time. We are competing with towns along the main line for high-income residents and poor train service is a real factor. We are also losing our wealthy residents to southern states such as Florida because of the CT tax situation. It’s a real problem. Improving performance on the New Canaan branch is the number one priority for New Canaan if we hope to improve commutes for our residents and support our local economy. I urge the committee to consider what can be done on this issue, and I thank them for hearing my testimony.”

The first selectman testified on Raised S.B. 155, An Act Concerning Rail Infrastructure Improvements, which will provide current data that can be used to identify problems and determine what needs to be done next. While the bill in its current form is merely a study, it is possible that substitute language will be introduced during session that will include real plans to upgrade branch lines throughout the state, especially New Canaan’s.

“The New Haven Line is the busiest commuter corridor in the country, and New Canaan is the busiest branch line at 1.5-1.6 million rides,” said Representative O’Dea. “That’s a lot of people who rely on this system to get to and from work, and that is an important thing for people to consider when they’re deciding where to live. Many people come to New Canaan to use our stations, so we know the demand is there. We need to invest in rail infrastructure and service enhancements statewide, but the New Canaan Branch Line must be included in this initiative because thousands in Fairfield County depend on it. This is our opportunity to listen to our constituents and fix this problem. I thank my fellow members of the Transportation Committee for raising this bill, First Selectman Moynihan for coming to Hartford to testify, and to all those who have advocated for improving rail service in the State of Connecticut.”