CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEWS RELEASE 2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546 NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT, 06131-7546

FOR RELEASE: August 18, 2014

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

Connecticut Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman and Connecticut Department of Transportation Hold CTfastrak Bus Unveiling Event and Transit-Oriented Development Tour Of The Bus Rapid Transit System

      The Connecticut Department of Transportation held a CTfastrak new bus unveiling ceremony and press conference today, followed by a transit-oriented development (TOD) tour of the CTfastrak bus rapid transit system.

      Attendees at the State Capitol press conference included Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redeker and representatives from the Department of Housing, Housing Finance Authority, Department of Economic and Community Development, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Office of Policy and Management.

      The press conference featured the first new 40-foot bus exclusively built for service on the CTfastrak bus rapid transit system which is scheduled to begin operations in central Connecticut in early 2015.  The new fleet of hybrid diesel-electric buses will include 30-foot buses to provide neighborhood circulator service and 40-foot buses to operate connector routes. The main line service will be operated with 60-foot articulated buses that will begin to arrive in the fall. All the new buses will feature GPS tracking so riders can find out where their bus is, LED lighting and free WiFi service.

      Following the CTfastrak bus unveiling ceremony and press conference, officials took a transit-oriented development tour of the CTfastrak guideway.  The tour began at the CTfastrak Downtown New Britain Station and followed the guideway through Newington, West Hartford and into Hartford.

      "CTfastrak, along with the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Rail Program, will create opportunities for mixed-use transit-oriented development along two of the state’s most populated corridors,  linking existing neighborhoods to employment centers.  These transportation systems unlock the potential for TOD development that can support the creation of housing choice and vibrant commercial centers that allow residents to work, play, and shop without the need of a car," said Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman.

      "The Connecticut Department of Transportation is in the process of building a TOD program to foster the linkage of transportation investments, land use, and economic development through its major capital programs.    TOD has the potential to create economic growth, supply the much needed workforce housing, reduce transportation costs for Connecticut families, and help retain our young professionals who choose to leave the state for other areas that have already embraced TOD-style communities and public transportation investments," said Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redeker.

      CTfastrak will offer a system of routes that provide direct service to and from Waterbury, Cheshire, Southington, Bristol, Plainville, New Britain, Newington, West Hartford, Hartford and Manchester using the bus-only CTfastrak guideway. The CTfastrak system will provide a one-seat, no transfer ride to many major regional employment, shopping and healthcare destinations as well as connections to the New Haven Line-Waterbury branch rail in Waterbury and Amtrak service in Hartford. For information about CTfastrak, visit www.ctfastrak.com, connect via Facebook at www.facebook.com/ctfastrak or Twitter @ctfastrak.