CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEWS RELEASE 2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546 NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT, 06131-7456

FOR RELEASE: April 19, 2013

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062 FAX: (860) 594-3065 WEB SITE: www.ct.gov/dot

200^th New Rail Car Goes into Service

Halfway Point in Rail Car Investment Program Reached

          The Connecticut Department of Transportation and MTA Metro-North Railroad today announced that the 200^th M-8 rail car has been put into service on the New Haven Line, marking the halfway point for the investment program that began in 2009 when 405 cars were ordered.

          “Connecticut is making unprecedented investments in the New Haven rail commuter system, the busiest line in the country,” said Transportation Commissioner James P. Redeker. “We have worked hard to make our trains safer, more convenient and more attractive, and our customers have been overwhelmingly positive in their feedback on the new cars.”

         To date, 222 of the new cars have been delivered and 200 of them have successfully completed acceptance testing and have been placed into service. Deliveries continue at the rate of about 10 cars per month. More than half of all trains in New Haven Line service on weekdays – 54 percent – are new M-8 train cars.  And on weekends, nearly 80 percent of all the trains in service are M-8s.

          “It is great to be able to say that we are now operating more M-8’s than older cars –which have been in service for decades,” said Metro-North President Howard Permut. “Combined with our other investments by Connecticut and New York in the power supply system, station improvements and other amenities, we continue to put customers first.”

          Metro-North operates the New Haven Line under contract with the Connecticut Department of Transportation. On an average weekday, there are 127,000 passenger trips on the line, which also includes the three branch lines running north to New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury. Annually, there are more than 38 million passenger trips on the line.