METRO NORTH NEW HAVEN RAIL COMMUTER COUNCIL
(Established in 1985 under Connecticut Public Act 85-239, now Sections 13b-212b and
13b -212c of the Connecticut General Statutes)
MINUTES OF MAY 27, 2008
BRIDGEPORT RAILROAD STATION
3RD FLOOR
Present were: Jim Cameron, Chairman; Rodney Chabot, Sue Prosi, Terri Cronin, Chris DeSanctis, Jeff Maron, Connor Murphy, Drew Todd and Joe McGee, members of the Council; Gene Colonese, Al Martin, John Hanifer, Al Martin, CDOT; Joe Kanell, Scott Ornstein, Jeff Watson, Jeff Steele, Joe McGee, Metro North; Lee Carlson, SLERA; Paul Hammer, Elm City Cyclists, et al.; John Austin, Sr., Consumer Advocate; Glen Hander, Parsons Brinckerhoff; Robin Batteau, Ted Cook and Liz Cook, Members of the Public
The meeting began at 7:05 pm. The Minutes of the April meeting were approved.
New members, Drew Todd and Connor Murphy, were welcomed to the Council.
MAIN LINE ISSUES
Members of Bikes for Transit asked about the old rail trails and whether those trails can be converted to passenger lines. Mr. Colonese said it is something that could be looked at. The members then asked the protocol for bicycles on trains. Joe Kannell and Jeff Watson commented that no bikes are permitted on rush hour trains. For all other trains, a permit may be purchased for mobile transportation of bikes. On the weekends, the bikes are put in the bar cars. There was a suggestion brought up by the Bikes for Transit folks for “Rent a Bike” at the stations (their destination station).
Ted Cook, a commuter, talked about problems in Fairfield. There are no employees behind the ticket counter at times. Mr. Colonese said they can only send someone to cover if someone’s available. Sometimes they are working on short notice and to get someone to cover is difficult. They would look into it and report back.
Mr. Cook said there are no signs for littering, and littering has increased, including littering on tracks. They are working on having signs posted. Mr. Cook inquired about the fine imposed on those who get caught. At this moment there is no fine for littering. Mr. Carlson said they will be picking up trash on the platform more often. A question was asked by Mr. Cook about fare collections from Stamford. Fares are still not being collected. Scott Ornstein said there are undercover agents constantly riding trains, making sure fares are being collected. If there is a specific instance when a fare is not collected, they can email the Metro North Commuter website and they will follow up on it right away.
OPERATIONS RESPONSE
Ridership continues to increase. Jeff Steele asked where all that money is going. It was reported that it goes into the general fund for rail operations.
DANBURY LINE STUDY
There is a public informational meeting on the continuing Danbury branch study that is taking place for Danbury on June 17th, with a public session in Wilton on June 18 at 6:00 at the Annex.
NEW M-8 CARS / NEW HAVEN YARD
New trains have to be tested every 100,000 miles to be sure they get the bugs out. The new cars are coming quickly and there isn’t sufficient housing to house them.
A question was asked the possibility of the maintenance facility is not be completed when the M-8s arrive. How will they be maintained? All the M-8s have a warranty period. When asked about the warranty period, there was no answer. The response from Mr. Colonese was that he hoped construction will finish before the warranty period. If they have to, they can go out to Harmon Yard in New York for immediate repairs. Jeff Steele asked why the yard is so underfunded. and the response was that their speculation was off by 10% when they did the initial evaluation, about 7 or 8 years ago.. Mr. Martin commented that he is “working with the Secretary of Governor Policy and Management and is very optimist that funding will be met by day 1.” He then went on to say that this is the first major investment in rail service in Connecticut. The Governor is committed to rail service and the new M-8s will remain in excellent condition.
The new facility was compared to the Harmon Yard in New York. A question was asked if it was necessary to have a yard with an active maintenance facility. The response was that it is absolutely necessary. Mr. Cameron asked about the cost of the facility. It will be $300 million. The cost was not taken into full consideration and a calculation of the cost was not done before committing. The shop should take 1-2 years, minimum. With the underfunding and trying to figure out where to get the money to compensate the underfunding of this project, it will not delay in any way, the order of the M-8s in the system and Gene Colonese said they have an exercise option for 80 more cars, which they will be looking to fill. A question was asked by Jeff Steele about mistakes made in the past. How were they going to take on the entire project and the response was they’re going to use factual data and in excess of 60% of the original cost. It was then restated by Mr. Martin that obligation of the cars will be met.
There was a presentation on the planned rail maintenance facility in New Haven. It was done by CDOT. Everyone received a handout, as well as a power point presentation. The power point was full of information and addressed many questions. A lengthy discussion followed. Further information will be presented at a future meeting and everyone will be made aware of progress.
PARKING IN EAST NORWALK AND SOUTH NORWALK
Terri Cronin and Drew Todd met with the Mayor and other officials of the City of Norwalk. This was an attempt to remind them that the Commuter Council plans to be an active participant in the parking in East Norwalk and South Norwalk. It is the City and LAZ who manage and are in charge of the Garage in South Norwalk. The City is working to get rid of abandoned cars in the parking garage. There are two cars that have been parked there for over two years. As long as they pay their monthly fee, they can stay as long as they want. A question was asked about who makes the rules in the garage. That it is done by LAZ parking. There needs to be more communication with the Council in all aspects.
The issue of the new taxi program was brought up. They apparently have a $60,000 per year dispatcher on the westbound side of the station so there was concerned about passengers would have to walk under a long tunnel for safety reasons. The City assured Ms. Cronin and Mr. Todd that they will have adequate security and the situation will be monitored. Drew asked Kathy Herbert for a report of overall feedback for the program.
There is an intermodal study being done. On June 5th there will be a “Meet the Commuter Day” sponsorted by the Council and consultants for that study so we can get feed back from that plan.
STAMFORD GARAGE
Discussions are still ongoing, but they are very optimist. They will start construction in early spring of 2010. They are working on the designs with the State and developer. Jeff Steele asked when the building is going to be taken down. Mr. Martin responded that they are working on the design and that the structural integrity of the building is there. They need to find areas for the cars to park during construction. This needs to be addressed immediately.
BAR CAR ADVERTISING
The revenue from selling new interior “wraps” will bring $1million per year and 65% of that will go to Connecticut. Mr. Colonese was asked about station naming rights, and it was reported that it is still being looked into. As of April 1, prices has been raised in the bar car about .25 cents, across the board. There is still no percentage of what CT makes, but the management of the commissary said that the sales from all bar cars is about $5.3 million a year and that’s on the low end. They plan to increase the offerings (i.e. premium vodka). The reason for the price increase is because everything has gone up and they need to increase the revenue.
BRANCH LINE ISSUES
Mr. Colonese mentioned that there is a new station coming on board – the Madison station. They’re trying to acquire new land and look at all areas. Mr. Colonese asked if they can retrofit the bar car to the line. Metro North, CDOT and the State are working to update the freight lines to be compatible with new freight cars. There was also mention at that time about platforms. The platforms are too high for the new cars. Metro North is working with CDOT to resolve that problem.
Commuters are happy with the new Waterbury a.m. train and are looking forward to expanding that service if the ridership increases, which they believe it will. They don’t have the exact number.
There was a problem with the bridge in Old Saybrook and it in the process of being repaired. Maritime, CDOt and Amtrak are working together with boaters, to limit the time the bridge can open for boats. Weekend service is starting the week of the 14th . There are 6 to 8 trips planned each way. Beginning on May 12th, they will have a late night train that leaves to New Have at 10:00 p.m.
The next meeting will take place on August 13th at 7 pm at SWRPA in Stamford.
Drew Todd
Acting Secretary
