Commuter Advocates Call For Improved Service On Metro-North Waterbury Branch
NAUGATUCK, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Commuter advocates who ride Metro-North Railroad continue to press for improvements on the Waterbury branch line.
The Connecticut Commuter Rail Council is sponsoring a commuter forum for Waterbury branch riders at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Naugatuck Historical Society at the Naugatuck Train Station.
The session is intended to bring together commuters and representatives of the state Department of Transportation and Metro-North. Advocates say ridership on the branch has more than doubled in the past decade while the quality of service has lagged.
Commuter Advocates Call For Improved Service On Metro-North Waterbury Branch
Jim Gildea, vice chairman of the council, said more than 500 people rely on weekend service, but trains come only three to four hours.
"If you're somebody on the Water branch, you really can't take the Waterbury branch train on the weekends to go to the city or to go places because there's just too long of a service gap," Gildea told WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief.
Gildea said service on the other branches is two hours or less.
In July, Metro-North appointed an advocate to pay particular attention to the Waterbury branch.
The 27-mile-long Waterbury line shuttles commuters to the main New Haven line linking Connecticut to New York City.
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