Remember Gov. Dannel Malloy’s stealth proposal for a “Transit Corridor Development Authority,” described by some as “eminent domain on steroids?” Well, the initial idea to allow the state to acquire any land within a half-mile of train stations was modified, then killed in the legislature. And that’s not the only thing that got stuck recently.
Metro-North
Metro-North is a commuter train with service to New York City. Its New Haven line brings passengers from the Connecticut shoreline to Grand Central Station.
Posted inPolitics
Connecticut risks federal fines for slow adoption of rail-safety system
The Federal Railroad Administration said Wednesday it would fine railroad companies and railroad track owners, like the state of Connecticut, if they don’t implement a safety technology known as positive train control by a Dec. 31 deadline.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Paying for Malloy’s $100 billion wish list
There is no question that Gov. Dannel Malloy’s proposed $100 billion transportation plan for our state is, as he puts it, “bold.” The question is, is it achievable? The problem is that the governor’s plan isn’t a plan. It’s a wish list, with something for everyone in the state. Nobody has vetted the various projects to say what makes sense and what doesn’t. Nor has the governor offered any ideas on how to pay for them.
Posted inNews
Future of Connecticut Rails: Last call for tickets for Tuesday’s Half Full event
The final event in The Mirror’s four-part Policy Pairings Series will take place Tuesday at Half Full Brewery in Stamford and feature a panel discussion on “The Future of Connecticut Rails.” Panelists will be Connecticut Transportation Commissioner James Redeker; Amanda Kennedy, the Connecticut director of the Regional Plan Association; and Jim Cameron, former chair of The CT Metro-North Rail Commuter Council. The event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m.
Posted inNews
Blumenthal, Schumer differ on approach to Metro-North Valhalla crash
WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Schumer and Richard Blumenthal held a joint press conference on the fatal crash between a Metro-North train and an SUV in Valhalla, N.Y. ; and though they were on the same telephone line, they weren’t always on the same page.
Posted inPolitics
Murphy named to five Senate appropriations panels
Washington – Sen. Chris Murphy said he’s been named to five Senate Appropriations Committee panels.
He will sit on appropriations subcommittees with authority over the budgets of the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development; the State Department, the Commerce and Justice departments, military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs and a panel that has jurisdiction over Congress’ operating budget.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy on rail vs. highway expansion: ‘All of the above’
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Thursday his new transportation vision includes the widening of I-95 from New York to Rhode Island, a colossal undertaking that he insists can co-exist with his commitment to the continued expansion of mass transit.
Posted inPolitics
Congressman Himes rode political roller-coaster in 113th Congress
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jim Himes faced some big challenges during the two years of the outgoing Congress and will find himself in a shrinking pool of centrists in the new session that is gaveled in after the New Year. (This is the fourth in a series of stories about the roles each member of the Connecticut congressional delegation played in the 113th Congress.)
Posted inMoney, Politics
Transportation a second-term priority for Malloy
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy outlined a major second-term policy goal Wednesday for the first time since his re-election, saying he will engage the public and political establishment in a broad discussion of how Connecticut must invest in transportation to compete economically in the 21st Century.
Posted inNews
NTSB blames Metro-North for multiple failures in rail accidents
WASHINGTON – In final reports on five accidents that resulted in six fatalities, The National Transportation Safety Board faulted Metro North for poor track maintenance and lax inspections, inadequate training and questionable screening and scheduling of train engineers.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Feds provide $161 million toward replacing balky Norwalk rail bridge
The federal government Wednesday awarded Connecticut a competitive grant of $161 million toward replacement of the 118-year-old Walk Bridge in Norwalk, a movable bridge whose failure in the open position halted Metro-North and Amtrak traffic twice this year on one of the busiest rail corridors in the U.S.
Posted inNews
Number of deficient CT bridges on the rise
WASHINGTON – The Walk Bridge in Norwalk is not the only bridge in Connecticut that has problems by a long shot. There are hundreds, and the number in poor condition has been climbing since 2006.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Neglected bridge makes deferred maintenance a losing bet
By making replacement of an 118-year-old rail bridge a second-term funding priority, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy took a gamble won by other governors, but not him. The odds of winning federal funding to fix the malfunctioning bridge are slim, which makes deferred maintenance — a quiet crisis plaguing the length of the Boston-Washington rail corridor — into an urgent election-year issue in Connecticut.
Posted inMoney, Politics
McKinney vs. Barnes: Apples & oranges, busway & bridges
Sen. John P. McKinney, a Republican candidate for governor, linked the state’s failure to maintain a Norwalk rail bridge Thursday to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s decision to greenlight construction of the Hartford to New Britain busway.
The governor’s secretary of the policy and management, Ben Barnes, said the Senate minority leader was comparing apples to oranges.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Norwalk bridge to remain closed? Depends who’s talking
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., surprised the Malloy administration by announcing Thursday that a mechanical swing bridge in Norwalk would remain in the closed position during repairs, providing reliable passage for Metro-North commuter trains while interrupting marine traffic on the Norwalk River.