City Considering Funding For Rail Expansion

Expansion of rail service to New London will be on the agenda of the Finance Committee when it next meets, the City Council voted on Monday.

The council voted unanimously to send the request for $6,000 to support increased service to Shore Line East to the committee. The request was made by the City Center District, which backs a One More Stop coalition to increase the number of trains visiting .

Shore Line East runs primarily between New Haven and Old Saybrook, with 10 weekday trains and no weekend service. George Dowker, president of the City Center District, says in a letter to the City Council that property owners in the district have invested over $25,000 in the promotion effort. The requested funds would be used to “expand our communications, outreach and public awareness activities through the creation of promotional materials, ads, grassroots events and part-time staffing.”

The council is listed as one of 19 “coalition partners” in a memo sent to Gov. Dannel Malloy by the Shore Line East Coalition. In the memo, the group argues that the number of passengers more than doubled between May and July of 2010 (from 833 to 1,945), and that the expansion is the most cost-effective transportation development project due to existing infrastructure. The coalition also says the expansion will remedy possible tourism decline due to high gas prices and will not significantly affect boat traffic.

Shore Line East service was first expanded to include New London in February of 2010.