In the name of sustaining the state’s economy, it could get a lot more expensive this summer to ride the rails and buses in Connecticut. And that is just the start.
A public hearing schedule will be announced next week on a possible 10-percent increase in rail fares this coming July and a 25-cent hike in bus fares. The rail fare hike could be followed by an extra 5 percent increase in 2020 and again in 2021, said Connecticut Department of Transportation Spokesman Judd Everhart in an email.
James P. Redeker, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, is proposing the changes, Everhart said. The public hearings are required by state law.
“We have been saying that without action by the General Assembly to ensure the long-term solvency of the Special Transportation Fund, we will need to raise fares and reduce service,” said Everhart.
Weekday off-peak services on Shore Line East, and the Danbury, Waterbury and New Canaan branches could be reduced and weekend services on these rail lines eliminated, as well, he added.
There also could be reductions to transit district subsidies of 5 percent or more.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has taken a strong stand on the need for more revenue to keep the state transportation fund solvent.
“Transportation is critical to nearly aspect of life in Connecticut, including our economy and our quality of life,” said Jason Novak, spokesman for the governor, in an email. “Under Governor Malloy’s leadership, we’ve made tremendous strides in modernizing and improving our transportation systems, but all of this progress could be lost without a solvent Special Transportation Fund. The governor is urging the General Assembly to act swiftly to ensure the stability of the STF, for the sake of our residents, our businesses and our safety.”
The governor warned Wall Street last month that the new state budget short-changes the transportation fund, which is headed for dramatic contraction over the next five years.
As 2017 wound to a close, Malloy indicated Connecticut would need to scrap some rail services, drive up rail and bus fares, reduce infrastructure maintenance, suspend as much as 40 percent of planned capital projects and defer major highway rebuilds like the Hartford viaduct.
Redeker said at the time that unless something is done, “it will not be the kind of system that will support future economic development.”
