(The following Associated Press article by John Christoffersen was posted on the Hartfor Courant website on September 22.)
STAMFORD, Conn. — Most of the trains were bought when President Nixon was engulfed in the Watergate scandal. They run hundreds of miles per day at speeds of up to nearly 100 mph.
The trains break down a lot. Occasionally they catch fire. The bathrooms are notoriously smelly, and sometimes the air conditioning fails.
The New Haven line of Metro-North Railroad is the nation’s busiest, bringing 110,000 commuters to their jobs in New York and Connecticut every day. The rail service, which is experiencing steady increases in ridership, is considered a vital alternative to gridlocked highways.
But the 380-car New Haven line fleet includes 241 cars purchased between 1972 and 1975. Officials are trying to squeeze another decade of life from the trains by replacing critical parts. The $149 million program began earlier this year and is expected to take several years.
“We have a fleet that is old, breaking down, and it is under substantial pressure from increased demands,” said Harry Harris, chief of public transportation for the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
The state is conducting a study – to be completed in the spring – with the aim of eventually buying a new fleet and maintenance facility with a combined cost of more than $1 billion.
Officials are trying to figure out what type of cars to buy; one option under study involves double-decker trains. They don’t know yet how the new fleet will be funded.
Commuter advocates and train officials are increasingly anxious about the existing cars.
“It’s time to put them out to pasture,” said Jim Cameron, vice chairman of the Connecticut Metro-North Rail Commuter Council, a watchdog group. “The cars are so old and in such a state of disrepair that on any given day 15 percent of the fleet is in the shop for repairs.”
That means trains often show up short of cars, causing more crowding as a growing number of commuters must stand, Cameron said. The repair program is moving too slowly to keep up with new problems, he said.
“We’re sending contradictory messages,” Cameron said, noting that officials have been encouraging mass transit but not investing enough money.
Shelley Houser said she frequently stands during her commute from Fairfield to her job in Stamford. She said she doesn’t mind the age of the trains as long as they are on time – “and no one opens the bathroom door.”
Just then a fellow passenger opened the dreaded door.
“Darn it,” she said.
Bill Sayles, who takes the train from Milford to his job in Westport, also brought up the bathrooms. He said it’s time for new trains. “You can fix it so many times. Then eventually it becomes obsolete,” Sayles said.
The state Transportation Strategy Board, which was formed in response to the congestion crisis, has recommended to lawmakers that new rail cars be purchased as quickly as possible. Rail cars are among several projects the board must prioritize to determine how to spend transportation funds set aside by the legislature.
Metro-North spokesman Dan Brucker agreed the New Haven fleet needs to be replaced. “We are running out of time,” Brucker said. “The average age of the New Haven fleet is the oldest on our system. More and more customers are using older equipment, which is requiring more and more time out for major repairs.”
Cameron said Connecticut officials won’t pay attention until someone gets injured in one of the electrical fires. He predicted some commuters will eventually get fed up and move out of state if the fleet is not replaced.
“No one in Hartford has taken this issue seriously,” Cameron said. “I know we had budget problems. But we’re also losing the people as taxpayers if they’re forced to stand and pay $300 per month for the privilege.”
Harris pointed to the program to replace critical parts and said officials are spending about $300 million to replace overhead wires on the tracks.