Shore Line East (SLE) riders have already gone through the ringer this year with delayed or canceled trains and unreliable service due to construction. On Sept. 18, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) announced a series of initiatives to improve the reliability of the rail service, though some riders remain skeptical the efforts will result in positive change.

SLE off-peak and weekend service was on the chopping block due to a shortage of funds this year, but avoided cuts once the state budget passed in the spring. Amtrak, which operates SLE, has been able to complete track work between New Haven and Old Saybrook to upgrade conditions and address maintenance concerns. Those upgrades, however, resulted in track closures and the need for supplemental buses.

According to the state DOT’s plan, Amtrak is going to expand its maintenance hours to try to repair out-of-service locomotives and rail cars at a faster rate. Buses will now be placed at stations on standby for when trains are unexpectedly canceled, DOT staff is planning to ride the trains to talk with customers, customer service hours are to be expanded, and finally, by the end of October, DOT hopes to roll out a platform for riders to receive customized alerts about their train.

State Representative Sean Scanlon (D-98) said he has received numerous calls and emails from constituents about SLE. On Sept. 20, Scanlon was at the Guilford Train station to speak with early morning commuters.

“It’s been good hearing from people,” he said. “I am disappointed to hear people don’t exactly feel like they are informed about what is happening…This is such a vital piece of our economy and if this deteriorates so much that a guy here told me he won’t even bother using this next month, he will just start driving again, we will have defeated the purpose of all of the money we have spent to build these beautiful stations to improve this rail line so far. So we really have to get this together.”

Commuters spoke to Scanlon about how much slower the bus is than the train—sometimes even tacking 20 plus minutes onto the commute—frustration over a lack of communication when a train is canceled, and the need for more weekend service so more residents can use the train to get into New Haven or New York City on the weekend.

“It’s a perfect storm happening right now, but we have to do better,” said Scanlon.

Scanlon encouraged commuters or would-be commuters to contact him with feedback and ideas at 1-800-842-8267 or Sean.Scanlon@cga.ct.gov.