Hartford Line service is provided by both Amtrak and CTrail trains, the latter operated by joint venture contractor Transit America Service Inc./Alternate Concepts Inc. Thirty-four weekday trains cover the 36-mile New Haven-Hartford segment. Many of these trains also operate north between Hartford and Springfield. Slightly fewer trains run on weekends. Hartford Line trains make connections with Amtrak Northeast Corridor and Shore Line East and Metro-North New Haven Line trains at New Haven.
Prior to the departure of Monday’s CTrail midday northbound train No. 4406 from New Haven, local, state and federal dignitaries marked the operation’s one-year anniversary by addressing attendees and riders. Mayor Toni Harp, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, along with Commissioner of Transportation Joseph Giulietti and Amtrak Assistant Vice President Thomas Moritz, all made brief statements. Lamont, Bysiewicz, Giulietti, and Moritz joined regular passengers on board No. 4406 for the 45-minute ride to Hartford, where a second ceremony was held. Lamont drew laughter as Amtrak passengers hurried through the crowd while attempting to board a southbound Amtrak shuttle train by loudly announcing “All Aboard for Train 473.”
Still in the future is double-tracking one of the route’s final two sections of single track, 8 miles of between Windsor and Enfield, Conn. (3.8 miles of single track will remain between Hartford and West Hartford), additional station stops at Enfield, West Hartford, Newington, and North Haven, and replacement stations at Windsor Locks and Windsor.
