The Ups and Downs of Commuter Rail Fares

Fairfield County commuters have grown weary of rail fare increases. Many people understand that some rate hikes are necessary to cover the cost of the new M-8 rail cars that have been rolling out since last year. But when fare increases are used to plug holes in the state budget, as they were in this past legislative session, commuters have a right to protest.

Rep. Kim Fawcett fought against a 4 percent increase in Metro-North rail fees set to take effect in January 2013. Last March, she succeeded in having the increase removed from the state budget – only to see it added back during the 11th hour of budget negotiations to help close the deficit. Jim Cameron, chairman of the Metro-North/Shore Line East Commuter Rail Council, praised Kim for standing firm against “a tax on commuters.”

Metro-North riders already saw their fares go up last January, with another increase slated for January 2014, bringing the total scheduled increase to nearly 16 percent over three years.

“In Fairfield County, we need a mass transit system that provides more parking, more frequent service and more seats on the trains. These rate hikes are part of an agreement from several years back that led to bringing the new rail cars — something we desperately needed,” says Rep. Fawcett. “What is not acceptable is allowing the state to continue to increase our rates exponentially to help bring in revenue and balance the state budget. Last year I was successful in bringing a lot of attention to this issue.”

She says the state must develop a long-term plan for investing in our aging mass transit infrastructure. Placing the burden on commuters is not the way to do it. (Look for more details about Kim’s ideas for investing in transportation in a future blog post.)

“I plan to continue to keep the spotlight on this issue and will work to stop future fare increases that are unjust,” says Rep. Fawcett.

Representative Kim Fawcett is the current co-chair of the Appropriations Sub-committee on Transportation.  To read more about her work in the state capitol visit www.kimfawcett.com