Governor Rell Opens New Rail Maintenance Facility

Governor M. Jodi Rell today cut the ribbon on a new $33 million rail maintenance facility in the New Haven Rail Yard.  The Running Repair Shop is the first new facility to be constructed and placed in service as part of an overall project by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) to rebuild the New Haven Rail Yard rail car maintenance complex.  The Running Repair Shop was designed and constructed in less than two years and built to address the immediate maintenance issues with the current  rail fleet.

“It is terrific to be standing here today in such a massive facility, displaying the state’s commitment to improve rail service.  We see first hand the additional capacity this new repair shop will bring, nearly doubling the current number of repair spaces for rail cars,” said Governor M. Jodi Rell.  “But this is only the beginning.  Over the next several years, new rail cars and a new rail complex will be in place to show my continued commitment to improve public transportation in the state.” 

ConnDOT built the Running Repair Shop in record breaking time.  The state provided $33 million dollars in bonding to design and build this new repair shop to provide the additional rail car maintenance capacity.  Over the past several years, Connecticut’s rail car fleet experienced significant problems during inclement winter weather, resulting in car shortages and train delays along the New Haven Line.

“Our passengers, who have experienced cold cars or hot cars, can take notice that the State and Metro-North Railroad have taken seriously the issues we face.  Rail cars that once stood in the rail yard waiting for service, will now be repaired and back in service on the New Haven Line,” said Governor Rell.  “In only a few short months, our passengers will begin to experience improved service and additional seat availability by having more rail cars returned to the rail line.  We thank Metro-North Railroad, for its continued work in operating service and maintaining rail cars on New Haven Line.”

The Running Repair Shop is over 600 feet in length, just over 2 football fields long, with a two-track service area handling up to 6 rail cars on each track.  This state of the art equipment maintenance facility will allow Metro-North Railroad (MNR), the operator of the New Haven Line, to service up to 12 rail cars at a time, nearly doubling the existing capacity.  Currently, on the entire rail New Haven Line, MNR can service 18 rail cars in two different facilities (New Haven and Stamford). 

“Opening this shop represents a major step toward achieving our goal of improving service and giving Connecticut residents the best value for their fare and tax dollars,” said President of MTA Metro-North Railroad Peter A. Cannito.  “This facility will be essential to keep our older equipment in service.  The shop will also play an important role as we prepare to accept hundreds of new railcars in less than three years.  And, the running repair facility will be used to perform the work normally done in New Haven Shop when we finally begin modernizing that shop, expanding the number of repair pits that are within an enclosed facility so that we can fix more cars faster without regard to the weather.”

The overall redesign and rebuilding of the New Haven Rail Yard Complex is currently underway.  Various projects are in the planning and design stages for new maintenance shops, wheel truing facilities, power supply station and fueling facility.  The State will be positioned to service the new M-8 rail fleet as well as support the future expanded rail service on the Connecticut Commuter Rail in the coming years.  Funding for the New Haven Rail Yard Complex has been identified in the past two legislative packages setting aside a total of $300 million.

“We would not be here today without the support of the General Assembly, who with me, have made transportation a top priority.  To stay competitive in the global economy, the state must provide the necessary resources, equipment, staffing and funding to support the Connecticut Commuter Rail System, and public transportation overall.  It is an essential element in the quality of life and success that Connecticut has experienced, and I look forward to working with the legislature in the coming session to address further the transportation needs of our residents,” said Governor Rell.