Next Stop For CT Fastrack- UConn?

[pepband99]

http://www.necfuture.com/alternatives/alternatives_comparison.aspx

Uhhhhhu,Where does option 2 and 3 stop?

You can make public comments about what option you want your tax $ going to. We should vouch for option 2 or 3 for numerous reasons. Comment period ends Jan 30th

Thanks. I had not seen a stop for 'UConn' before. There is no existing nor former rail line that goes east/west through Mansfield, just north/south. Best guess is that a station would be built in Mansfield Depot along the existing north/south fright line there that runs between Amherst MA and New London CT and then use bus service to connect it to the main campus a few miles away. From Willimantic, there is an existing rail line that it can use to get to Providence via Norwich and Plainfield. Going in the other direction, an entire new railbed will need to be put in place between Mansfield Depot and Bolton Notch as there is nothing there now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Corridor_Rail_Line

1) The "Air Line" came awfully close. http://www.abandonedrails.com/Air_Line Any East/west route is likely to be in this general vicinity.
2) A "UCONN" stop is likely mandatory to even think about trying to push this through. I doubt we will see this in my, or my children's, lifetime. It would be awesome, though.

 

[CL82]

1) The "Air Line" came awfully close. http://www.abandonedrails.com/Air_Line Any East/west route is likely to be in this general vicinity.
2) A "UCONN" stop is likely mandatory to even think about trying to push this through. I doubt we will see this in my, or my children's, lifetime. It would be awesome, though.

Neat, and thanks 2 U and Aaron M. I lived in Colchester in the early 80's, right at the end of that unusual north/south branch. The Colchester train station was at the end of the line, right next to my house. It was a package store in the 80's. I used to walk the rails towards Amston (the junction of the branch with the Air Line)with my beagle. I used to ask locals just where did the line go? I was always told "It went to UCONN". Now I know.

Jay
Madison, CT
11/24/2013
____________________
The line did go to UCONN ... The Dodd Library which stores the archives and memorabilia of the late and great New Haven ... 150 years of tradition unhindered by progress !
​

Interesting.

Sign me up for option two, if they add a stop at the Rent.

 

[SubbaBub]

Draw a circle that is one mile in diameter, find the spot on the map the fits the most people in that circle. Put the station/stop in the middle of that circle. It's not rocket science.

For this example, people means places people want to go. Home, work, commercial, school are all examples. For a rail, you need to shift the station toward the economically viable track corridor, but there really isn't that much more to it. UConn is big enough to warrant a spur if the main track doesn't end up there. So, would the casinos.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

1) The "Air Line" came awfully close. http://www.abandonedrails.com/Air_Line Any East/west route is likely to be in this general vicinity.
2) A "UCONN" stop is likely mandatory to even think about trying to push this through. I doubt we will see this in my, or my children's, lifetime. It would be awesome, though.

Thanks, I did not know about the entirety of the Airline. One issue I can see is that Amtrak does want to include Providence on future high-speed line and this route would bypass it by basically cutting through northeastern CT to connect Hartford with the existing MBTA commuter rail line that currently ends in Franklin MA.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Draw a circle that is one mile in diameter, find the spot on the map the fits the most people in that circle. Put the station/stop in the middle of that circle. It's not rocket science.

For this example, people means places people want to go. Home, work, commercial, school are all examples. For a rail, you need to shift the station toward the economically viable track corridor, but there really isn't that much more to it. UConn is big enough to warrant a spur if the main track doesn't end up there. So, would the casinos.

I am no civil engineer nor rail specialist; but, one issue about building a spur from Willimantic to Storrs is elevation. Anyone remember driving up that hill between the mall and campus in the winter? Looking at Google, Willimantic is about 200 feet above sea level. UConn's campus sits on the 600 foot contour. That about an 400 foot elevation increase in 8 miles, which works out to just under a 1% grade. Its' doable (basically anything over a 2.5% grade becomes a challenge); but, would be expensive. That's likely the reason the local rail line though Mansfield follows the Willimatic River parallel to Route 32 with a stop in Mansfield Depot, which sits about 360 feet above sea level.

 

[SubbaBub]

Realistically, the spurn could join the main anywhere. The connection is the important thing. It would be a bonus if the node also demanded service, but you build it based on the spur demand and the price based on the node location.

Trains like level track, but it's only really a money problem. The spur wouldn't need to be high speed either, so long as it takes 10-15 minutes to reach the main line node. In Europe and the west, they use anti-rollback or a rack style track to climb.

 

[ct06111]

http://www.necfuture.com/alternatives/alternatives_comparison.aspx

,Where does option 2 and 3 stop?

You can make public comments about what option you want your tax $ going to. We should vouch for option 2 or 3 for numerous reasons. Comment period ends Jan 30th

Comment period on tier 1 EIS has been extended till 2/15/16.
You can comment online or at comment@necfuture.com
Check out the EIS and other info @ www.necfuture.com
The Northeast Corridor's future goes right thru CT. I had no idea about its potential expansion until the public hearing in Hartford last week. The federal railroad administration really wants to hear our comments. If we don't comment, we could really miss out on some great economic oppurtuinties for our entire state. Please comment

 

[Drew]

Meetings in Storrs on Feb 2&3

http://today.uconn.edu/2016/01/ctfastrak/

 

[Drew]

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-ctfastrak-east-update-0215-20160215-story.html

Fastrak announcing new routes soon- UConn likely

 

[huskymedic]

hartfordcourantMar 29, 7:40pm via SocialFlow
Planned CTfastrak UConn route become budget casualty
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-ctfastrak-east-manchester-uconn-0330-20160329-story.html

 

[Drew]

UConn-led travel survey will give state decision makers updated information

UConn-led travel survey will give state decision makers updated information

"A new travel study being conducted by UConn faculty will provide data for the state travel model, updating decades-old information.

Gathering current data about residents' travel characteristics will help the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) to make transportation infrastructure decisions that account for all modes of travel based on up-to-date information.

The study will provide information that will be used to plan and prioritize future transportation decisions, such as whether to widen a highway or provide more public transportation to an area - decisions that are a part of the $100 million Let's Go CT investment. The information will help determine the role transit, biking and walking can play in improving mobility in communities, and how we can improve roadways to more effectively handle increasing traffic and travel demands."

 

[Drew]

Hartford To Storrs: Planned Expansion Of Bus Service To Include Stops In Manchester's Retail Hub

The DOT's goal is to begin express service between Storrs and Hartford in the fall of 2017, Rivers said. Additional buses are to be delivered in 2017, but construction of stations along the route is not to begin until 2018.

Manchester's main station is to be in the commuter lot on Pleasant Valley Road. General Manager Scott Shanley said the expanded bus service will benefit people coming to Manchester to shop and work, but he also sought assurance at the meeting and in later comments that the planned bus shelter would be adequate for the number of riders.

"I just want to make sure we don't get stuck in a situation where after three years of operation we say, 'Jeepers, we should have made this bigger,'" Shanley said after the meeting. "I think it needs to start out substantial enough to accommodate the future."

The DOT's plan is to run the Storrs-to-Hartford buses hourly from 5 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and 5 a.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday. On Saturdays, buses would run from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sundays; and on Sundays, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Buckland Hills shuttle buses would run every half hour, according to a presentation at the meeting.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Hartford To Storrs: Planned Expansion Of Bus Service To Include Stops In Manchester's Retail Hub

The DOT's goal is to begin express service between Storrs and Hartford in the fall of 2017, Rivers said. Additional buses are to be delivered in 2017, but construction of stations along the route is not to begin until 2018.

The DOT's plan is to run the Storrs-to-Hartford buses hourly from 5 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and 5 a.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday. On Saturdays, buses would run from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sundays; and on Sundays, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Buckland Hills shuttle buses would run every half hour, according to a presentation at the meeting.

If DOT somehow gets this off the ground, which I doubt, the state is going to need a lot of disinfectant for the buses that make the last run from Hartford to Storrs on Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights during the school year. It will be like the PATH train at 2 AM going from Hoboken back to NYC back when NJ still allowed smoking in the bars and after NYC banned the practice. The things I saw, or wish I didn't see...

 

[Drew]

DOT: Hartford To UConn Bus Route Could Cost $1.4 Million A Year

Cautioning that success hinges on funding, transit planners on Wednesday proposed launching hourly express bus service between Hartford and the University of Connecticut campus next August.

The new route would link the main Storrs campus to the downtown Hartford campus, which UConn plans to open next fall.

It would also connect to CTfastrak buses serving central Connecticut, Cheshire and Waterbury, offering a new way to campus for students and staff who commute by car.

But the service would come at a price: Consultants on Wednesday estimated that weekday trips would cost $1 million a year, and weekends would add about $400,000.

Fares pay about 20 percent of the cost of running existing CTfastrak routes, with taxpayer subsidies covering the rest. If that formula holds up for the UConn services, it would require about $1.1 million in new subsidies. The state transportation department is negotiating with UConn for partial financial aid to operate the route.

 

[Drew]

Expand The Busway To Storrs

Yes, money is tight, and close oversight of state agencies is important. But the relatively modest cost of expanding service to UConn — about $6 million for improvements and a similar amount for a few new buses, along with an estimated $1.4 million a year in operating costs — is worth it.

The proposal to expand service does not include building a new concrete corridor east of Hartford, such as the one between Hartford and New Britain. It simply adds buses and a few shelters, and it would improve some streets and park-and-ride lots along the route, according to Michael Sanders, transit administrator at the Department of Transportation.

Consider the benefits. UConn students could commute conveniently between campuses, and they would have easy access to work in the city, in addition to Hartford's nightlife and cultural offerings. UConn recently approved a $20 transportation fee that would cover about half of the annual operating costs. In exchange, students would get a pass to ride any bus in the CTtransit system.

That's a fair way to defray the costs, because the expansion would most directly benefit the UConn community in Storrs.

But people on the Storrs campus won't be the only ones to benefit. An hourly bus would offer easy access to campus for anyone living along or near the line, for classes, basketball games or work.

 

[SubbaBub]

The usual pandering to the crowd aside. This or some thing like it needs to happen. You have a major economic engine completely isolated from the industry, labor, and consumer populations.

Same goes for Bradley. How a state could go this long in this part of the world without making these connections is baffling.

 

[Drew]

The usual pandering to the crowd aside. This or some thing like it needs to happen. You have a major economic engine completely isolated from the industry, labor, and consumer populations.

Same goes for Bradley. How a state could go this long in this part of the world without making these connections is baffling.

I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere but I'd like to see a bus to BDL from UConn as well

 

[Husky25]

This makes too much sense for the State Legislature to actually do it.

 

[Drew]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Drew]

 

[huskymedic]

Bus ridership linking UConn's Storrs campus to Hartford's grows

>>Ridership for the expanded CTtransit bus route linking UConn's Storrs and downtown Hartford campuses and UConn Health in Farmington has surged to more than 32,000 passenger trips since its launched on Aug. 13, state officials said.<<

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Adios]

Should have a stop in East Hartford for football games, no?

 

[Jarhead_1775]

I've taken the bus. Had a couple too many at Ted's and gotten these express buses all the way to Simsbury. It takes forever, but beats a DUI or worse.