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Riding the Rails
New Shore Line East service fails to produce ridership spike
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Business New Haven
4/1/2002
By: E. A. Linden
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On December 17, Shore Line East commuter rail service expanded its offering with a new train connecting the old line (from Old Saybrook to New Haven) with continuing express service to Bridgeport and Stamford, running both morning and evening service.
The express train reported an average of 250 passengers traveling from New Haven to Stamford last month, a number that has remained relatively constant since the expanded service's inception last December. “Before,” Raymond Cox, assistant rail administrator explains, “people riding from Old Saybrook to Stamford would have to get off the train and transfer in New Haven. Now they have a one-seat ticket and can stay on the Shore Line Express all the way.
“We have had some serious equipment problems on MetroNorth and so now we are increasing the seats available on those trains by keeping riders on our express.”
Cox does, however, want to increase the ridership of the express trains, and suggests that the number of passengers is not growing because of an inconveniently early afternoon time slot. (The express train currently leaves Stamford at 4:35 p.m.)
Cox explains that on June 24 Shore Line East will be adding a second express train leaving in the later afternoon, likely around 5:15 p.m.
The Shore Line East rail line is committed to reducing road congestion and encouraging mass transit. To this end, the rail line offers a guaranteed ride to their monthly pass-holders, a service ensuring that those commuters opting to use mass transit will not be stranded in surprise situations when their schedule will not allow them to use the train. In these cases (up to twice a year), Shore Line will pay for taxi service (fare plus gratuity). With this, and the addition of a second express train in June, the Shore Line East hopes to attract more commuters to their transit service.
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