As Ridership Booms On the Hartford Line, CTrail Riders Are Being Kicked Off Amtrak Trains
Riders prepare to get on the 4:32 p.m. Amtrak train at Hartford’s Union Station on October 5, 2018. Photo by Frankie Graziano for Connecticut Public Radio
A seat on the 4:32 p.m. train out of Hartford’s union station is emerging as the most coveted seat on the CTrail’s new Hartford Line that was launched in June.
Connecticut residents are taking advantage of being able to ride up and down the I-91 corridor, but the situation surrounding the 4:32 raises a question about whether the demand can be met.
UConn student Mariah Valentin has a long commute to begin with when she goes home for the weekend to Bridgeport from Storrs. It took even longer on Friday, September 28.
“The whole trip could be done by 5 or 6 o’clock, but this time it was extended to around 7 o’clock,” Valentin said.
Valentin utilizes U-Pass, which gives students at participating colleges access to unlimited travel on buses and trains in Connecticut, when she makes the trip home.