Freight Rail Project Aims to Revitalize Eastern Connecticut
A locomotive breaks a banner across the tracks in Willimantic to mark the start of a rail upgrade project. Credit: Harriet Jones / WNPR
A new railroad investment is about to get underway in eastern Connecticut that its backers hope will be a boost for the economy right along the tracks and into greater New England. Instead of giants scissors, the New England Central Railroad chose a train to cut the ribbon on this new project.
The celebration, held in Willimantic, was two years in the making, and is the result of the state winning an $8 million federal TIGER grant to revitalize this stretch of freight rail.