Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • November 13, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 17 the state, sees great potential in the new rail line for its existing employees north of New Haven, said Vin Petrini, senior vice president of public affairs. YNHHS also has a significant medical complex in North Ha- ven within walking distance of the proposed train station on the Hartford Line. "Having that level of access to public transportation and to rail lines could be a very significant economic driver for us," he said. YNHHS, which runs free 42-seat shuttle buses to and from its facilities and Union Station in New Haven, encourages public transportation use among employees, in- centivizing them with a 60 percent subsidy of their fares. Combining that with the new line "could be a very powerful incentive for folks to join the organization," Petrini said. "I think the rail line would provide great- er access for both employees and patients to not only New Haven, but to North Haven," and also alleviate some of the parking chal- lenges in New Haven, he said. Ann Hogan, senior government affairs officer for YNHHS, said she commutes daily from Hartford to work, a roughly hour drive excluding accidents and construction delays. She said her many meetings around the state would preclude her from using rail service every day, but it would be an option for days she doesn't travel. "I think that it has some real potential benefits for employees that have set hours," Hogan said. Ridership projections It's hard to gauge the rail line's success ahead of launch, but Wray cited the examples of how Worcester, Mass., and Providence, with enhanced and easily accessible rail service, dramatically increased their connections to Boston and provided more opportunities for commuting there from each city, he said. The Hartford Line will offer 17 daily roundtrips between Hartford and New Haven, up from six today, and 12 between Hartford and Springfield, up from six, and an average travel time of 81 minutes between Springfield and New Haven and 45 between Hartford and New Haven. When all improvements are com - pleted, there will be 25 daily roundtrips. Corridor ridership today on Amtrak, which will provide some of the new service in the expanded format with CTDOT next year, has about 300,000 annual riders now, a figure estimated to rise to about 750,000 within five years, Wray said, citing DOT numbers. Fewer vehicles on the road also translates to better air quality and less wear on highway infra - structure, he said. Beyond rail, the CTfastrak busway, which launched in March 2015, has exceeded 7 million rides, providing improved access to 150,000 jobs nearby, Wray said. "These things all have a lot of very impor- tant impacts, they're just hard to gauge in advance," he said. DOT's proposed fares for the route, subject to a 35-day public comment period ending Nov. 27, range from $12.75 one-way from Springfield to New Haven and $8 from Hartford to New Haven. Discounts are proposed for seniors and the disabled. The additional connectivity provided by the rail line also appeals to younger people, DOT's Bernick said, widening their options for where to live when considering their commutes. "It makes Connecticut so much more marketable from attracting talent, attract- ing businesses that want to tap into that talent," Bernick said, anticipating transit- oriented development near train stations, some of which is already occurring. The nearby train station in Windsor, one of the stops on the Hartford Line, is a plus for Hartford developer Martin Kenny, whose $23 million, 130-unit luxury Windsor Sta- tion Apartments are almost fully leased after opening earlier this year adjacent the station. Even before he broke ground and the volume of train service between Springfield and New Haven was an - nounced, he consid- ered proximity to the station a plus. Now, with 12 trips a day between Hart- ford and Springfield, where many of his residents work in the medical commu- nity, he's thrilled. "To me, it's going to make demand for our location better," Kenny said. The other plus is Windsor town center's appeal, including restaurants, grocery and pharmacy, plus walkability. "If you're not going to live in a city … you want to live in a town center that's got stuff," Kenny said. Transportation issues Russell McDermott, project manager at CTrides, a state Department of Transporta- tion program that helps commuters and employers with information and resources for travel options like carpools, vanpools, bus, train, biking/walking and teleworking, expects the rail line will have a fairly signifi- cant impact on employment. "You could make a case that there's a corre- lation between the employment for local com- panies and the amount of reach they have," McDermott said, noting the comple- mentary connections to CTfastrak, CT Transit and more in the region. "You're able to connect to a broader employment market than you would have, let's say, without the rail line." By increasing the mobility options for people, "I think you could make the case there … is going to be a big impact for companies," he said. Employees save time, stress, gas and vehicle wear, he said. CRCOG's Wray said it's difficult to predict what will happen with employ- ment when the rail opens, but generally labor markets work better with improved transportation. Two-thirds of I-91 corridor business leaders in the CBIA-Knowledge Corridor survey said traffic congestion and poor and deteriorating infrastructure are the most pressing transpor- tation issues facing the region, with 21 percent citing the lack of mass-transit options. Ninety percent of business leaders said expanding commuter rail service between Boston and Springfield would help their businesses and 91 percent said it would positively impact the region's economy. DOT's Bernick said there's political traction in Springfield for additional service to Boston. "Business leaders in Hartford start to salivate at that," he said of improved service from Boston hooking into service all the way to Washington, D.C. CT Rail Service Station Locations New Haven Union Station New Haven State Street Station Wallingford Meriden Berlin Hartford Union Station Windsor Windsor Locks Springfield Union Station Source: CT DOT John Bernick, asst. rail administrator at the Dept. of Transportation, in front of the Berlin station. The maps (right) show the rail line's link to regional routes and a vision for a significant expansion of passenger service in the Northeast, as well as current and future rail station stops. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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