“Expanding rail service – and particularly service to Penn Station – has been one of my top transportation goals over the past three years,” Governor Rell said. “Service to Penn Station opens for Connecticut commuters an entirely new region of the New York Metro area with service to lower Manhattan and through to New Jersey. Whether we are expanding north to Massachusetts, east into Rhode Island or further west into New York, developing regional transit linkages is the way of our rail future.”

 
At the Governor’s direction, discussions between the DOT and Metro-North about Penn Station service options have been ongoing for nearly a year. Metro-North recently announced it will initiate pilot service to Giants Stadium in New Jersey and to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx in 2009. Options for “reverse commuters” from the Bronx into Connecticut using Penn Station service are also being explored.

Governor Rell requested that the new study identifying Penn Station opportunities and obstacles be completed by August 1st.

Metro-North’s New Haven Line is among the busiest commuter rail lines in the country, providing 35 million passenger trips each year. Approximately 30 percent of Connecticut’s commuters travel to Penn Station each day.

 
“Connecticut commuters have waited patiently for years for expanded service,” Governor Rell said. “We have moved aggressively over the past three years to create a commuter rail system of which we can all be proud. The New Haven Line is the lifeblood of our southwest Connecticut economy.  Service to Penn Station will be a huge boost with new trains, ample seats and new service to Manhattan and the financial district.”

 
The Governor also asked DOT to study the feasibility of purchasing double-decker rail cars to be used for service from Connecticut stations into Penn Station. One option, she said, would be “piggy-backing” onto an existing order by the State of New Jersey. Each of those cars would seat up to 140 passengers.

Connecticut has already embarked on an ambitious equipment and capital improvement program that includes the order of 300 new M-8 rail cars to replace the 240 M-2 rail car New Haven Line fleet, the refurbishment of 33 rails cars purchased from the State of Virginia for service on Shore Line East, new rail stations in West Haven and Orange, new and expanding parking at Bridgeport and other Metro-North Line stations, and new and expanded weekday and weekend service on Shore Line East.

Currently, New Haven Line commuters needing to get to Penn Station must take the train to Grand Central Terminal and then take a subway shuttle to Penn Station.

One the most important matters of business before the legislature didn't quite make it out of the regular session but is near the top of the agenda for the special session later this month: Gov. M. Jodi Rell's transportation initiative, which will modernize the Metro North commuter line and begin to address other transportation needs in the state.

The governor had some harsh words for the legislature for failing to finish work on the plan, but there's no reason to believe the plan won't emerge intact in the special session. Leaders have agreed to the broad outline of the proposal, including an alternative method to what the governor had proposed for financing it.

The governor had wanted to employ the gas tax. The Democrats have chosen instead to use a gross receipts tax on petroleum products, which would be imposed on retailers.

This is one of several weaknesses in the proposal. Retailers likely will pass along the gross receipts tax to customers anyway. In addition, the tax will be tied to the price of gas and other petroleum products, which fluctuate so it could fall short of raising the money the state needs for the projects.

Another weakness is that the plan doesn't address many needs outside of Fairfield County, including southeastern Connecticut. The theory is that that is where the needs are most pressing, and that additional money can be invested when plans are further developed in other parts of the state. For example, the widening of Interstate 95 west of New Haven is in the very early planning stage.

But that points to another weakness. The state Transportation Strategy Board, in a detailed study of the state's transportation needs, pointed to more than $5 billion in projects that will be necessary, but the governor's plan only includes about $1 billion in work. The plan that is taking shape in the legislature provides funds for only those immediate projects, which include replacing much of the rolling stock of Metro North. The fear on the strategy board is that it won't be easy to raise additional funds for future projects, and the board has recommended looking into additional sources of funds, including tolls.

This would be a stronger plan if the legislature included a study into the use of tolls. Transportation experts point out that the fuel-related taxes will become less reliable sources of transportation funds as automobile manufacturers shift away from petroleum fuels and public transportation assumes a larger role.

But the strengths of this plan greatly outweigh the weaknesses. This is the first major thrust in transportation investment in two decades, and one that is long overdue. It is to the credit of the governor and the legislature that they are on the verge of carrying this initiative forward.