Stop the 4.5% fare increase!
Tell your CT State Lawmakers How You Feel
The CT Rail Commuter Council strongly opposes the latest proposed fare increase on Metro-North. You can help by telling your CT lawmakers that the way we pay for mass transit in this state needs an overhaul. In Connecticut, all mass transit is paid for out of a special Transportation Fund, which is filled with money from motor vehicle registrations, traffic fines, gasoline taxes, etc. The less money from those sources (for example, as the gas tax is cut), the less subsidy for mass transit... and the higher the fares. In effect, the way we allocate our State budget is creating more problems than it solves.
Did you know that...
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Riders on Metro-North in CT pay more for their train commute than do commuters anywhere else in the nation. Each ticket we buy pays for 73% of the operating cost. In contrast, the LIRR riders pay just 55%.ü
Metro-North riders have had 4.5% fare increases in four of the last five years... with predictions of further boosts to come unless funding sources are changed?ü
Our aging fleet of rail cars will have to be replaced in coming years and track and caternary (over-head electric wires) must be rebuilt... costing hundreds of millions of dollars just to maintain, not improve, rail service in CT?
Enough is enough! Commuters cannot bear the burden of further fare increases. The Legislature must find a better way to fund the trains and other mass transit.
Click here to fight back:
www.trainweb.org/ctOur Web site lets you e-mail all members of the CT Legislature's Transportation Committee. Tell them "enough is enough," that you oppose this plan for another fare increase on Metro-North, and that a different funding system must be found.
Our Web site helps you find your local CT State Senator and State Representative, so you can e-mail them the same message. Or you can also call legislators in Hartford toll-free: 800-842-1902 (Democrat) or 800-842-1423 (Republican). Remind them that your ability to pay CT State income taxes depends on your ability to get to and from work at an affordable cost.
At the Web site you can join the CT Rail Commuter Council's E-Mail Alert Service. We promise to keep you posted on this fare increase proposal and on upcoming public hearings where you can speak out in person. Thanks for your support!
CT Metro North New Haven Rail Commuter Council
