Comments on: Passenger Rail and Train Station Complex

By: Jeffrey L.

Jeffrey L. — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:33:47 +0000

This is a great idea. It would give people an alternative mode of travel from Bristol. With the gas prices on the rise I could see more people switching to public transportation.

By: Cory W

Cory W — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:38:16 +0000

This is the most challenging, but also the most important improvement that could be made to downtown Bristol. Think about why the Centre Mall failed. There was little to no major traffic access. People traveled to more easily accessed areas such as West Hartford, Glastonbury, Southington, etc. People not only from surrounding towns, but from Bristol. There are some great new ideas on this site, but none of them will survive if people don’t have a way of getting to downtown. Yes route 72 has finally been extended, but a rail station would be the lifeblood of this new development.
I am a Bristol boy, born and raised. A young professional who moved out of Bristol to other areas as soon as I could because the commute was too long and the community too bland. I work at a company that frequently imports people from other states and they laugh at the idea of living in Bristol in favor of more friendly commuting and entertainment areas like West Hartford Center.
Combine restaurants, stores, and community areas with downtown housing and a connected rail station? You have a winning combination that will finally turn around the downtown area. I’m looking to buy my first residence and if you told me there would be a rail connected downtown Bristol development? Sold.

By: Carla

Carla — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:34:46 +0000

I went to Germany to visit family …Hopped on trains and trollys…cheap, quick,easy transportation and this was my first time experience…explored daily on different routes …wondering all the time “Why don’t we have something like this at home in America ,in Bristo?!”

By: Christy Matthews

Christy Matthews — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:50:03 +0000

Get bristol on the rails as a stop between New York, Hartford, and Boston. Talk about stimulating the economy!

By: Doug Dalena

Doug Dalena — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:51:05 +0000

Commuter rail for Bristol must overcome one major obstacle: the roughly 3-mile serpentine loop that takes the tracks around downtown instead of through it. This hairpin turn is a huge slowdown for a passenger rail line, and was identified as a problem nearly a century ago in the 1920 Nolen planning survey here: http://www.ci.bristol.ct.us/content/3326/16475/default.aspx.

Here’s the solution:
1. Reroute the tracks from the Terryville line, east along Route 72, then along Park Street past Muzzy Field, over the Pequabuck River near the West St/Route 72 intersection, then behind Laurel Street, across Brackett Park and to the south side of the Center Mall property. Reconnect the new track to the existing tracks between Riverside Avenue and Prospect Street (the challenge would be to find a smooth way to do this while saving the historic buildings on Main Street). This plan would require some property acquisition, but could still accommodate vehicle traffic by widening Park and School streets, and by improving Divinity Street to handle more traffic.
2. Create a train station near Main Street and the existing McDonald’s, giving access to the new development, City Hall, and the heart of downtown.
3. Create an additional stop at Muzzy Field/Rockwell Park, increasing the marketability of Muzzy for sports and special events and giving that neighborhood, as well as downtown, access to trains to both Hartford and New York.
4. Create a multi-use recreational trail on the old rail right of way. You then have a dedicated, car-free, bike and pedestrian trail connecting Rockwell Park to Birge Pond/Hoppers, with possible extension to the open space parcel on James P. Casey Road and Perkins Street, and connecting to both the Bristol Common shopping center and the new downtown development – all on existing right of way.
5. This would cost a lot, but so would any rail plan – even the existing right of way needs new tracks and major capital investment to handle passengers. Stamford did a project of this magnitude when it built an entirely new mile-long road through a densely developed area to improve access to its train station and to a new development area. As mayor, Gov. Malloy was the project’s biggest backer, and most of the money came from state and federal sources. This was done while finding a way to accommodate existing businesses and preserve historic buildings.

By: Brian Lavigne

Brian Lavigne — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 23:12:25 +0000

Great idea. Fully support it. Just make sure the schedule fits peoples’ needs.

By: cappy00ne

cappy00ne — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:26:38 +0000

yes please is time to move ahead we need the train station!!!

By: Mike Tonon

Mike Tonon — Sun, 15 May 2011 19:39:22 +0000

I’d like to see a map of what the rail system would look like and detailed cost list.

By: David Carlson

David Carlson — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:37:47 +0000

I’d love to be able to take a train to Hartford however, I refuse to take a train to New Britain to use the Bus Way!

By: Mark Walerysiak Jr

Mark Walerysiak Jr — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:49:25 +0000

Talk about reducing the carbon footprint.

There’s nothing more green than a bunch of us ditching our cars, at least on occasion, for mass transit options like a passenger rail system.