September 5, 2014

GOV. MALLOY: SERVICE ON NEW HAVEN LINE REACHES IMPORTANT MILESTONE AS ON-TIME TRAIN PERFORMANCE CONTINUES TO IMPROVE

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that on-time train performance on the New Haven Line continues to improve. According to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) and Metro-North Railroad (MNR), on-time train performance levels reached more than 95 percent in August.

"At the beginning of the year, I asked Metro-North to demonstrate their commitment to providing the safe, reliable and timely service that Connecticut residents expect and deserve. In particular, we want customers to be confident that their trains will be on time at least 95 percent of the time," said Governor Malloy. "With the safety enhancements and infrastructure investments we have made, coupled with the recent improvements in on-time train performance, it is clear that our partners at Metro-North are taking serious their task of restoring the New Haven Line to a 'best-in-class' railroad."

In April, Governor Malloy wrote a letter to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and MNR urging them to focus on the goals of safety, reliability and optimal trip times on the New Haven Line while addressing customer complaints about late, crowded and slow trains.

"Following a difficult year where performance improvement had stalled, these numbers are especially encouraging," said ConnDOT Commissioner James P. Redeker.

Following a series of derailments and other safety issues that required the institution of slower speeds on some sections of the New Haven Line, MNR and ConnDOT have taken a variety of steps to improve service and performance. In recent months, MNR, which operates the New Haven Line under contract to ConnDOT, has revised train operating schedules so that maintenance work is more often performed in off-peak hours so that, in case of delays, a smaller number of commuters will be affected.

The New Haven Line is the busiest commuter rail line in the country, providing more than 125,000 rides on an average weekday.

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For Immediate Release: September 5, 2014

Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy