SACIA, Stamford
1. Council Chairman Rodney Chabot announced
with regret the passing that afternoon of the mother of Harry Harris of
CDOT.
Minutes
of the March Meeting were approved with corrections. Daily ridership on Shore
Line East averages 1,229, not 229. The
estimated state surplus March 21 was
$600 million, not $500 million.
2. Shore Line East’s on-time performance
dropped to 93.05% during March, due primarily to a rock slide with which an Amtrak
train collided. Repair work resulting
from the slide will not be completed until May 15.
In
response to continuing complaints that Solari boards in the New Haven Station
tunnel still do not work, Ray Cox revealed that software "fixes" to
the boards clearly do not work. As the
result, the boards’ restoration has become a long-term project involving costly
replacement. The board in the station
is fully operative, it was noted, but this does not serve Shore Line East
riders connecting through New Haven, as they do not enter the station. Amtrak
announcements piped to the platforms thus are essential, Mr. Chabot stressed.
With
storage yard track work in progress, many New Haven station platforms are out of service, Mr. Cox said, and
although work is ahead of schedule, they
will continue to be until the end of May. Catenary work is also scheduled until the end of summer, he
added, by which time all tracks will be back in service, and the storage yard
for MU cars is being moved to the north side of the tracks as part of this
three-year project.
While
absent, Council member Lee Carlson recorded his concern that Amtrak track work,
now limiting Shore Line East service to one track between Branford and
Guilford, is requiring passengers to cross tracks at the time a high-speed
Acela train is scheduled through the area.
Jon Foster conceded that this situation exists, but stressed that Amtrak
trains are operating at reduced speeds because of it.
3. On the Waterbury Branch, buses were needed
13 times during March in lieu of trains, and there were 19 late trains (as
opposed to 20 in February). Equipment problems were the principal cause of
this, Mr. Cox reported. Chairman Chabot again wondered why the Waterbury line
appears to have the largest number of equipment issues, and Mr. Cox responded
that there is presently no surplus Shore Line East equipment to lend the other
line, but the delivery of 13 new Genesis engines by year-end will free FL-9N’s
to be used on the Waterbury branch.
There
was discussion of a plan to supplement train service with bus service on the one-track branch, in part to
alleviate the disparity in the travel times of intrastate and interstate
commuters. In July, a bus will replace
the midday train, and a 5:25 p.m. bus from Bridgeport will supplement the 5:54
pm train, which carries largely inter-state commuters. Several Council members were concerned that this
would presage the elimination of the train line, but adding buses clearly
expands riders’ options. Vice Chmn. Jim Cameron promised that this bus-for-rail
swap would be closely monitored by the Council.
4. Danbury Branch service in March was marked
by six instances where buses replaced trains, five of them relating to track
work. Eight trains were rated as late
by Metro-North’s standards. The
contract for installation of the CTC signal system has not yet been signed, due
to bid complications, Mr. Cox noted, but the work is scheduled to begin during
the summer.
5. Delays have occurred in completion of the
Stamford Station project, now not scheduled for completion until February,
2003. Work on the garage expansion will
begin May 1, with the new facility to be built first adjoining the present
facility. Extensive repair and
upgrading will then close the existing garage for up to two years.
Passenger
convenience dictates the need for street level monitors showing train times and
track assignments, the Council agreed, as those boarding and meeting trains now must go into the station for this
information – a factor which complicates things the narrow, congested
platforms.
It
was noted that, beginning April 29, Amtrak’s Acela service will provide two
daily Stamford stops, making this service available for the first time from
Stamford. As part of the replacement of overhead wiring on tracks running
through the station, trains will be running only Tracks 3 and 5 over the April
28-29 weekend. This will mean bus
service only on the New Canaan Branch during those two days.
6. The now historic kiosk project, to give
passengers arriving at Metro North stations maps and guidance in reaching key
local sites, still awaits completion of the monumental design project underway
in Newington, the Council was told.
First installations with attendant fanfare are promised for Darien and
the new State Street station. (We
should live so long.- EZ)
The
Council was told that installation of additional station parking in Rowayton
will begin in June. Although some
residents have opposed the expansion’s location, from 60 to 70 spaces will be
added at a cost of from $120,000 to $180,000.
7. Metro North’s winter operations, marked by
few weather-related service delays or disruptions, were reviewed, as was the
shop backlog in repair and maintenance. None of the cars undergoing heavy repair,
largely as the result of fires, is yet back in service, but the backlog was
reduced during March and early April.
The current back-log, consisting of 38 cars in New Haven and six in
Stamford, means that a few trains are running short of equipment.
8. In the absence of Harry Harris, Joe McGee
summarized the legislative status in Hartford, where the Legislature and
Governor Rowland have proposed differing allocations for mass transit aimed at
congestion relief. The governor has
recommended an additional $50 million for transportation, plus up to $38.5
million to be drawn from the budget surplus, depending on its size. The Legislature seeks the added
appropriation of $55 million, with possible supplemental funds.
Remaining
unresolved, it was noted, is the issue of the role of the Transportation
Strategy Board and how it will interface with CDOT. Proposals range from giving
TSB a separate $45 million budget for specific projects to having it work
directly with CDOT to develop a broader framework of transportation through
intensified long-range planning. One
approach creates a centralized professional TSB staff, another envisions
extensive reliance on outside expertise.
9. An update on the Darien station
reconstruction was deferred until May. It
was suggested that better signage be put in place to guide arriving Darien rail
passengers unfamiliar with the routing around the construction.
10.
The Orange First Selectman who was to make the case for locating a railroad
station there, rather than West Haven, has delayed his presentation until
May. Michael Mercuriano and David
Carmody renewed arguments for locating in West Haven the station for which
there are no funds now. They cited West
Haven’s 54,000 population, as opposed to Orange’s 12,000; easy station access,
via a four-lane highway enhancement; a 1,100-car parking area, with 2.8 acres
available for adding 300 more spaces; 7,000 residential units within walking distance of the proposed station;
the value of that location to the nearby
Veterans Hospital, and the station’s easy access to four miles of
beaches.
Mr.
Mercuriano and Mr. Carmody assured the Council that they have no business
interest or land ownership related to the station’s West Haven site. It was noted, too, that a developer has
offered to build the stationat his expense and lease it back to Metro North.
11.
The report on CDOT Commuter Focus Groups was deferred until Mr. Harris returns
at the May meeting. Vice Chmn Jim
Cameron reported on a summary of the Focus Group findings that residents find
trains and buses dirty and overcrowded, their
Personnel "unhelpful;" served by inadequate parking, and made
inconvenient by poor pickup and drop-off facilities. The research, he said, confirms the Council’s stance that new
equipment and expanded financing are needed.
While 90% of respondents expressed willingness to try mass transit, 10%
said they would not. Jeff Maron
questioned why the survey covered only those needing intrastate transportation,
and not interstate commuters.
OTHER OLD BUSINESS: A complaint registered by Mr. Cameron that
Train #1504 from Grand Central Terminal to New Haven was delayed south of New
Rochelle to give priority to an Acela
express was cited. It was noted,
however, that Metro North itself sets
the priorities at the New Rochelle track junction with Amtrak. Mr. Cameron asked for more details on the delay and the policy of
integrating MNRR and Amtrak schedules at the next meeting.
NEW BUSINESS:
1. Commuter complaints listed by Mr. Cameron
included objections to the wide-spread use of cellphones on trains, often for
extended conversations, and suggested that a "quiet" car be created
on each train, where the use of cellphones was forbidden. It was noted that Metro North had dropped
its plan for a "Be Considerate" campaign asking commuters to respect
the needs and interests of fellow passengers.
A
complaint was filed that too few trains stop in East Norwalk, and that making
this stop would not involve much added time on schedules. Gene Colonese explained that Metro North
stops weekend trains only every other hour in Rowayton, East Norwalk, Green
Farms and Southport, and that these stops together do add to schedule
time. He noted that the stations only
have a small ridership. Mr. Cameron
said that might be because they receive poor service, not vice versa.
2. A discussion surrounded the possible
scheduling of a "Meet the Commuter Day" during May. Bridgeport, Greenwich and Stamford were
suggested as locations, but consensus was that the construction situation would
complicate a Stamford day. The date and
location for the event will be set and communicated to Council members.
OTHER: Mr. Cameron reported that Stamford Mayor Malloy had requested that CDOT consider adding a Metro-North
station between Stamford and Glenbrook
on the New Canaan branch. Though he was
invited to make a presentation to the Council on this idea, or send a
representative, the Mayor’s office was not in attendance. Council members
agreed to discuss the plan further, but gave the initial view that this is station is not likely to
generate wide support among commuters.
Respectfully submitted,
Edward H. Zimmerman
Secretary
In Attendance
Rodney Chabot, Chairman Carl
Leaman, Council member
Jim Cameron, Vice Chairman Jeffrey
Maron, Council Member
Edward Zimmerman,
Secretary Raymond F. Cox, CDOT
Jon M. Foster, CDOT David C. Carmody, Counsel, WHRRC
Eugene J. Colonese, Metro
North Sgt.
John P. Mullien, MTA Police
Jon A. Longobardi, Metro
North Jim O’Keefe, The Advocate
Joe McGee, SACIA, Council
member Scott Criscuolo – WICC
Michael Mercuriano,
Chairman, West Haven Railroad Committee
