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16 Hartford Business Journal • November 13, 2017 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By John Stearns jstearns@HartfordBusiness.com T he new $769 million CTrail Hartford Line launching service next May between Springfield and New Haven is expected to broaden workers' employment reach and give employers in the Hartford and Elm City regions the abil- ity to draw from a larger workforce pool, officials familiar with the project say. The intended effects include promoting economic development by expanding access to major employment centers, providing a catalyst for development near train stations, and fostering environmental benefits and a fast transportation alternative. People who live between Hartford and Springfield who previously might have been deterred from work in New Haven or beyond due to traffic hassles, delays, stress and driv- ing cost, may be inclined to consider a rail commute, officials say. Passengers arriving in New Haven can walk across the platform for Metro-North connections to Shore Line East, Stamford or New York City, or, in reverse, to trains headed to Hartford and Springfield. "A huge benefit of the project is access to jobs," said John Bernick, assistant rail admin- istrator at the Connecticut Department of Transportation, who called it a "game-chang- er for the I-91 corridor" in various ways. As part of the new CTrail Hartford Line service, funded through state and federal funds, travelers in New Haven, Wallingford, Meriden, Berlin and Hartford will board trains every 45 minutes during the morning and evening peak hours, and approximately every 90 minutes during off-peak periods, improving to 30 and 60 minutes, respec- tively, when future improvements are made. Trains will travel up to 110 mph. Weekday service will begin as early as 6 a.m. and run as late as 11 p.m. Stops also are planned in Windsor, Windsor Locks and Springfield, with four future stations planned in North Haven, Newington, West Hartford and Enfield. Wallingford's new $21 million Hartford Line station opened to the public Nov. 6. The four future stations, plus additional track and bridge work and purchase of more trains, would cost about $500 million, for which Connecticut would seek additional federal funding to complement state funding. Bernick said he can't provide a target date for completing that work since it's dependent on future funding availability. Of the $769 million budget for the initial service in May, $564 mil- lion is state money, $205 million is federal. "This is potentially a very big deal in terms of getting people access to employment," said Lyle Wray, executive director of the Capitol Region Council Of Governments (CRCOG). "People can get to better jobs more con- veniently, more reliably, which I think is a very important piece," he said. Employer interest A biennial survey of business leaders by the Connecticut Business & Industry Associa- tion and New England's Knowledge Corridor released last month showed that among 440 respondents, 22 percent said they or their employees will use the new rail service, 25 per- cent were unsure and 53 percent would not. Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS), with its 23,548 employees spread around People Mover Expanded rail line aims to broaden talent pool for Hartford, New Haven region employers Work continues on the Berlin Station at 51 Depot Road, one of the stops on the Hartford Line. Improvements at the station, scheduled for completion early next year, include high-level platforms on both sides of the tracks, elevators, stairways, an overhead pedestrian bridge to cross the tracks, canopies covering about half the platform, and surface parking for about 220 vehicles. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED