Connecticut Commuter Advocates Upset Over Where Fare Hike Money Is Going
HARTFORD, CT (CBSNewYork) - Commuters on Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line are paying more to ride the rails, but where's all that extra money going?
WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau On The Story
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The 4 percent fare hikes kicked in last month, but Gov. Dan Malloy's new budget reveals the $12 million raised will actually be used to cut the state subsidy to the railroad, according to says Jim Cameron of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council.
"This seems to prove just what we had feared, which is that the fare increase was not money that was gonna be spent on the trains, but was really gonna end up in the general fund," Cameron WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau.
The Connecticut DOT says the money goes directly into the transportation fund, where it could wind up paying for bridges or roads.
But State Representative Gail Lavielle of Wilton has a bill ready that would earmark revenue from the higher fares specifically for rail improvements.
"The money's coming in from the fare increases and then it's being pulled straight out to be used for other purposes," she said Thursday.
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