Transportation

Positive Train Control to Meet Dec 31 Deadline on Metro-North’s Connecticut Tracks

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Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Wednesday that every passenger rail line in Connecticut will have positive train control (PTC) installed on their systems by Dec. 31, 2018. — an announcement from Gov. Dannel Malloy’s office, followed by an announcement by the Commuter Action Group, reacting to the announcement. That fulfilling a recently enacted requirement by the Federal Railroad Administration for every passenger rail line in the country to implement the safety measure by the end of the year. [Metro-North rail lines in New York state have received approval for a postponement of PTC on rail lines in that state until 2020, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal.]

PTC is a system designed to stop a train automatically before an accident occurs, including preventing train-to-train collisions, derailments caused by excessive train speed, movement of a train onto sections of track where maintenance work is taking place, and incidents when a track switch has been left in the wrong position.

Transportation
Talmadge Hill Train Station Talmadge Hill Railroad Station

New Canaan Owns the Talmadge Hill Parking Lot and They’re Making It Harder for Darien Commuters

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Saying the Talmadge Hill parking lot can be more effectively used to serve local commuters, the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday voted unanimously to convert 36 daily metered spaces there to permit spaces for New Canaan residents. ___________

— This article originally was published by NewCanaanite.com. ___________

The change is designed to cut into the waitlist at the commuter lot, recently pegged at 115 people, without requiring feasibility studies and construction work, such as expanding the parking levels there north toward the Merritt Parkway. That type of project, if allowed, remains a possibility—likely for some time next year, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said—but “the cheapest way to increase permit spaces is to take daily fee spots.”

“There is demand for New Canaanites for those Talmadge Hill spots,” Moynihan said at the meeting, held at Town Hall. “When we do have permit spots we oversell by 50 percent, so we have daily fee spots that are sitting empty that we get no revenues from.”

The easternmost/uppermost tier at Talmadge Hill has 36 metered spots and the next level down has 60.

Transportation
Metro-North Train

Changes This Weekend for New Haven Line, New Canaan Branch, Plus Schedule Change

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Booze is banned from trains on Saturday; some minor timetable changes for the New Haven Line will begin on Sunday, March 18; buses will replace trains late on Saturday on the New Canaan Branch, and the train to the games at Yankee Stadium will have some service changes, Metro-North announced. SATURDAY: No Booze on the Trains on St. Patrick’s Day
A Metro-North announcement (edited to include just the New Haven Line):

On Saint Patrick’s Day, Saturday, March 17, to maintain orderly travel for customers, Metro-North will not permit alcoholic beverages on trains, platforms or at stations. MTA Police will confiscate any alcoholic beverages brought onto Metro-North trains and facilities. Customers should buy round-trip tickets in advance using MTA eTix, or arrive at the station early to buy tickets.

Government & Politics
Train Winter

State Transportation Chief Describes Service Cuts, Rail Fare Hikes Coming Soon Unless Alternate Funding Found

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Rail fare increases of 21 percent over three years, starting with 10 percent in July, and another 10 percent hike next year, cuts in train service on weekends and off-peak times on the New Canaan Branch, and bus fare increases are coming unless the state finds some funding alternative. That was the harsh message Connecticut Transportation Commissioner James Redeker gave New Canaanites on Wednesday. About 60 people went to the meeting in New Canaan Town Hall. “This is not my wish […],” Redeker said. “I’m trying to do this in a rational way, but it’s certainly not a pleasant way.”