Rail Commuters Spared Fare Hike

The Metro North-Shoreline East Rail Commuter Council met Wednesday night at the Trackside Teen Center in Wilton to discuss proposed Metro North rail service cuts and fare hikes.

However, it was announced during the meeting that there will be no changes in schedules or increases in fare prices at this time. Fare hikes will likely result when the new M8 cars are completely installed, council officials said.

The new M8 rail cars are presently undergoing testing before being implemented into the Metro-North system, according to Joseph A. Marie, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transporation. Testing has gone well but is not completed. The diagnostic software is still being fine-tuned as the testing process continues, Marie said.

Also discussed was the Danbury CTC project, which is an upgrade of the Danbury line signal system. The project aims to improve commuter rail service on the Danbury branch and help reduce congestion in the Route 7 corridor between South Norwalk and New Milford.

Proposals are out for bid on the project and, once a contract is awarded, it is anticipated there will be an 80-day period of service outages.

The outages will be continuous, affecting some mid-day and weekend services. Those traveling southbound will be provided with bus service that will transport them to the East Norwalk train station, where they will then be able to board a train. Those headed north will get bus service from East Norwalk to all stops through Danbury.

The project is expected to get under way in August and conclude in November.