Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Debate swings to merits of bus, rail - The New Britain Herald (newbritainherald.com)

Posted by Frank Smith at 5.1.10

5 comments:

Mayor Stewart said...

Frank,
I don't usually respond to criticism from people out of town but I think it's time to set this record straight on the busway project. Nearly $50 million had already been spent in federal dollars on the design and property aquisitions for this project to date. It is nearly 80% completed in final design and the only obstacles left are in the city of Hartford and West Hartford. This political oppostition has come from people in Bristol and West Hartford as they are hell bent on switching the FTA monies to a commuter rail project to replace the bus rapid transit project. Final application to a program called "New Starts" is being submitted for $275 million and along with that money an additional $70 million in fed funds will be sent to connecticut for other project uses. The money for the bus project cannot be switched to a commuter rail project that hasn't even been studied as of yet for viability and costs because the federal regulations do not permit it.
Please understand that I was not sold on the busway project from the very beginning but if people think that a rail project will get completed any faster they must be smoking something funny. Granted the state DOT being involved in this has dragged out this timetable to a point where people have lost faith in them but the option of scrapping this project when the federal government has made an enormous investment in this is just not acceptable. I have visited bus rapid transit systems in other states and I can tell you they are a great compliment to an overall public transportation system that serves the most people. We are having a public forum on this project in the coming weeks and would encourage residents to come out and support our efforts as our downtown revitalization plans will be complimented by this project and others. The state needs to fund the requireed monies to study the Springfield-New Haven line before Waterbury-Hartford as federal funding will be jeapordized if they do not.

Mayor Stewart

January 5, 2010 at 10:24 AM
independent voter said...

What I always find interesting in this debate is unsubstantiated comments like:

1. More people would ride a train — to commute to work or college, to travel to New York for business or pleasure

2. There aren’t a lot of public voices against the busway, but the private sentiment is there.

3. Rail lines are a way to entice newcomers to the state and to bring college students who’ve grown used to mass transit back home after they’ve finished school.

4. The option to use the rail line vanishes once it’s paved, “I don’t understand why you pave over existing rail,” he said.

5. Overwhelmingly, people want trains over buses… the train would be a regional asset that has support from almost all the towns.

All unsubstantiated. How do I know? Because they haven’t even done a feasibility study yet! That’s how I know. Come on guys, stick to facts not political jargon and glad-handing.

One thing these folks are leaving out is the cost to consumers to travel from say New Britain to Hartford. I went to amtrack's website (http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak) and tried to see what a ticket from West Haven to Bridgeport would cost to get an idea what we are talking about for the consumer. I was shocked to find that it cost 24 dollars!! One Way!!!!!.

The Hartford New Britain busway was proposed to make travel to and from New Britain cheap and inexpensive for commuters.

TWENTY-FOUR DOLLARS, ONEWAY! I DON'T THINK MANY FOLKS COULD AFFORD TO PAY THAT EACH DAY TO GET TO WORK!!

January 5, 2010 at 3:35 PM
Anonymous said...

Frank Nicastro and his brother from Bristol are playing "dog in the manger" with the issue of
" Busway vs. Railway. " The two of them run around like the dog in the manger scaring the cows/cattle from eating the hay because they couldn't/can't make any use of it. So they try to get New Britain's State legislators to abandondon the busway in favor of a 20 year into the future railway that hasn't even been started to be planned. DeFronzo and company are well advised to pay attention to the community they represent, NEW BRITAIN!

The busway plan is almost complete and can be functional in three years. $ Millions have been spent already and we are ready to go. The busway is very important to CCSU and to the redevelopment of downtown New Britain. How about if O'Brien, DeFronzo, Tercyak, Geragosian, Boukus start paying attention to people and not to Bristol politics. that the Herald supports.

January 5, 2010 at 6:35 PM
The Thorn said...

If anyone thinks the state will be able to manage a light rail system efficiently, they are high on something very potent.

The only track record we can look to for the state's ability to run a railroad is the Metro-North Railroad, which is owned and operated by Connecticut Department of Transportation for the Connecticut routes between New York and the many Connecticut cities it serves (also known as the New Haven line).

We recently read one news story and editorial after another slamming the state and the governor for the deplorable conditions that exist on this existing railroad--which proudly displays huge lettering down the side of each car reading: "Connecticut Department of Transportation" as if ownership of this line is something to be proud of.

After months of stories about the sad financial condition, and the reported deplorable condition of the aging railroad cars, we are now being promised "change we can believe in" with regard to another rail system this same agency would be put in charge of?

Who in their right mind would believe this any more than you would believe you could provide free health insurance to 30 million more people and cut the costs of health care?

For those of you who would believe this foolishness, I am the owner of some ocean front property in Oklahoma, and would be willing to sell it to you really really cheap!

January 5, 2010 at 9:49 PM
Anonymous said...

The proposed change from bus to train, which would cost about 10 times the cost and take at least 10 more years longer to build, sounds to me like someone, somewhere is trying to generate a whole lot of potential kickbacks!

January 5, 2010 at 10:12 PM

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