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

FOR RELEASE: September 3, 2014

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

Gov. Malloy: Record Ridership on Shore Line East Commuter Rail Line

      Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that ridership on Shore Line East – the commuter rail line between New Haven and New London – set a new record last month with 63,959 passenger trips.

      “In recent years, we have added more weekday and weekend service on Shore Line East, especially in and out of New London, and that investment is paying off,” Governor Malloy said. “It’s clear that residents, whether commuters going to work or tourists visiting historic shoreline sites, are taking advantage of this service.  Investments in public transportation not only mean more convenience and reduced congestion, they also pay dividends throughout the local and regional economy."

      The Governor noted that Shore Line East operates 34 weekday trains and 21 weekend and holiday trains between New Haven and New London. There are also four “through trains” to and from Stamford each weekday.

      Connecticut Transportation Commissioner James P. Redeker said that the ridership jump in July represented a 5 percent increase over June, in part because of special service that was implemented in July for Sail Fest 2014. Through July 2014, there have been 382,716 rides, compared with 375,524 through July of 2013. Total ridership in 2013 increased by 5 percent compared with 2012.

      Shore Line East schedule and station information is available at www.shorelineeast.com.

About Shore Line East

Shore Line East (SLE) is the rail service between New Haven and New London. It is operated on behalf of the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) by Amtrak. In addition to two stations in New Haven (Union Station and State Street Station) there are stops in Branford, Guilford, Madison, Clinton, Westbrook, Old Saybrook and New London. Although not technically a part of SLE, there is also a stop in Mystic provided by Amtrak. SLE commuter operations began in 1990.