NEWS AND NOTICES

We would like to inform you that in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, CTrail Shore Line East will operate on a weekend/holiday schedule on Monday, January 15, 2024.

For travel beyond New Haven, please check with your connecting operator, as they may also have a modified holiday schedule.

Don’t forget to review your preferences on our alerts page to ensure you are receiving the most up-to-date information for your travels. Preferences may need updating after each schedule change.

In response to your valuable feedback, starting December 18th, we are adjusting the Shore Line East schedule to enhance its alignment with your travel needs.

A few notable highlights of the new schedule include the addition of several new trains:

Weekday

• Train 1645 – arriving at New Haven Union Station at 8:30 a.m. 
• Train 1638 – departing New Haven Union Station at 5:35 p.m.

Weekend 

• Train 3610 – departing New Haven Union Station at 10:45 a.m.
• Train 3637 – arriving at New Haven Union Station at 1:25 p.m.

Don’t forget to review your preferences on our alerts page to ensure you receive the most up-to-date information for your travels.

Due to Amtrak’s ongoing construction, there will be temporary track assignment changes for some Shore Line East trains. These changes will begin on Tuesday, November 28, and extend through Monday, December 11.

Please note that train times will remain unchanged. The only changes will be to the track assignments at Clinton and Westbrook.

Click here to view the new track assignments on the downloadable PDF schedule.

On Thursday, November 23, Thanksgiving Day, Shore Line East will operate on a weekend/holiday schedule. 

If you are traveling beyond New Haven, we recommend you check with the connecting transportation operators for their schedule information. 

Visit shorelineeast.com/schedules for schedule details.

Don’t forget to review your preferences on our alerts page to ensure you receive the most up-to-date information for your travels.

Due to Amtrak’s ongoing construction, there will be temporary track assignment changes for some Shore Line East trains.

• There will be several temporary one-day track changes on Thursday, October 19.
• Additional track assignment changes happen on Friday, October 20, which will be in place until the project is completed.

Train crews will announce the changes on Tuesday and Wednesday before the changes take effect. Please note that no train times will change – only track assignments.

Be sure to visit ShoreLineEast.com for schedule and boarding information before your trip.

We thank you for your cooperation during this time.

Don’t forget to review your preferences on our alerts page to ensure you receive the most up-to-date information for your travels.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) today announced a series of four public hearings to gather input on the proposed rail and bus service changes, as well as proposed rail fare increases. The biennial state budget adopted earlier this year included a funding increase for CTtransit bus service in Connecticut and a funding reduction for Metro-North Railroad (MNR) and CTrail Shore Line East (SLE) passenger rail service to align with current commuting habits more closely.

Proposed bus service changes include:

• One proposed new route in the CTtransit Hartford Division.
• Two proposed new routes in the CTtransit New Haven Division and proposed improvements to service frequencies on two CTfastrak routes.
• Additional changes were proposed to eight routes in the CTtransit Hartford Division to better align with ridership demand and promote efficiency, such as decreased service frequency, route restructuring, and route elimination with replacement service.

The state budget included significant investments for additional bus service improvements across the state, such as new Sunday service in Meriden. Those changes do not meet the threshold for a service equity analysis and thus not included.

Proposed rail service changes include:

• Decreased Monday through Thursday service on the New Haven Line from 239 trains to 237 trains.
• Decreased Friday service on the New Haven Line from 241 trains to 233 trains.
• Decreased weekday service on the New Canaan Line from 41 trains to 39 trains.
• Decreased weekday service on the Danbury Line from 28 trains to 26 trains.

The proposed schedule changes for Shore Line East would not take effect until after the Amtrak Fitter Interlocking Project is completed, and it differs from the construction schedule that took effect on September 5, 2023.

• Decreased weekday service on Shore Line East from 23 trains to 16 trains.
• Proposed Shore Line East Train 1640 will depart at 5:45 p.m. eastbound from New Haven, eliminating a three-hour gap.

Proposed rail fare changes include:

• An increase for Metro-North fares in Connecticut, Shore Line East fares, and Hartford Line fares, excluding monthly school passes. Metro-North fares in Connecticut have not increased since January 2018, while Shore Line East fares have not increased since 2016. Hartford Line fares have not been adjusted since the launch of the service.

Full details on the proposed service and fare changes are available at ct.gov/dot/proposedtransitchanges.

“Commuting habits continue evolving following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and these proposed changes reflect this ‘new normal’ by prioritizing morning and evening peak train service and introducing bus service changes to meet a new demand,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Bureau Chief of Public Transportation Benjamin Limmer. “I encourage members of the public to attend one of the hearings and offer their comments and feedback on these proposals. Public input is critically important and helps ensure we deliver a safe, accessible public transportation system in Connecticut.”

At these hearings, CTDOT will provide information and accept public comments on the service and fare proposals and the Service and Fare Equity (SAFE) analysis. The SAFE analysis evaluates the proposed changes to determine if they will cause a disparate impact on people of color or a disproportionate burden to people with low incomes.

The public hearings will be conducted in person in Hartford and New Haven and virtually online via Zoom. The in-person hearings include an open house during which staff will be available for questions and answers. The public hearing will begin after the open house.

The complete proposed service and fare changes are available at ct.gov/dot/proposedtransitchanges. The public comment period is open from today, Monday, September 18, through Friday, October 6, 2023. The virtual meetings will be recorded and saved on the CTDOT YouTube Channel at youtube.com/@ctdotofficial.

Registration is encouraged for the virtual public hearings; however, it is only required for those who would like to provide a comment during the hearing. To register, please visit ct.gov/dot/proposedtransitchanges or call (860) 594-3612 and leave a voicemail with your full name and contact information. Registration will be accepted up to the day of the hearing and will remain open for the duration of the hearings.

Individuals with limited internet access can listen to the meeting by calling (833) 548-0282 and entering the Webinar ID. Persons with hearing or speech disabilities may dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS). Persons with limited internet access may also request that project information be mailed to them within one week by contacting (860) 594-3612 or dot.proposedtransitchanges@ct.gov.

Language assistance may be requested by contacting the CTDOT Language Assistance Call Line at (860) 594-2109. Requests should be made at least five business days prior to the meeting. Language assistance is provided at no cost to the public, and efforts will be made to respond to timely requests for assistance. Closed captioning, including in non-English language, will be available on Zoom.

For more information on the proposed changes and how to attend the public hearings, provide comments, and access the SAFE analysis document, please visit ct.gov/dot/proposedtransitchanges.

CTDOT encourages all members of the public to participate in one or more of the scheduled public hearings and submit comments. Members of the public may submit comments by emailing dot.proposedtransitchanges@ct.gov or by calling (860) 597-8226. Written comments may also be submitted to:

COMMENT ON PROPOSED FARE AND SERVICE CHANGES

Connecticut Department of Transportation

Bureau of Public Transportation

P.O. Box 317546

Newington, CT 06131-7546

CTDOT will consider all comments received during the public hearing and public comment process when approving the final service and fare proposal(s).

The CTrail eTix app will be down for maintenance on Thursday, September 14, from 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.   During this time, tickets will not be able to be purchased through the app. 

All previously purchased tickets can be used.

We apologize for any inconvenience.  

Don’t forget to review your preferences on our alerts page to ensure you are receiving the most up-to-date information for your travels.

English

Due to construction, alternative options for travel include bus routes and Amtrak trains.

Buses:

• CTtransit Route 201: Serves New Haven, Branford, Guilford, and Madison. The Route 201 weekday schedule can be found here.
• River Valley Transit Route 641: Serves Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Clinton, and Madison. The Route 641 schedule can be found here.
• River Valley Transit Route 643: Serves Old Saybrook, East Lyme, Old Lyme, and New London. The Route 643 schedule can be found here.

Buses will accept most SLE tickets, except for the SLE Ten-Trip Ticket.

Amtrak

• Accepts the following tickets:
  • SLE Monthly Ticket
  • SLE Monthly Plus Bus Ticket
  • Metro-North Railroad (MNR)/SLE Monthly UniRail Ticket
  • MNR/SLE Weekly UniRail Ticket
  • SLE Ten-Trip Ticket
• Seats must be booked in advance using Amtrak’s RideReserve Program
• Tickets can be purchased through the Amtrak app, the Amtrak website, or a ticket agent at New Haven Union, Old Saybrook, or New London Stations

Español

Debido a la construcción, las opciones alternativas para viajar incluyen rutas de autobús y trenes Amtrak.

Autobuses:

• Ruta 201 de CTtransit: sirve a New Haven, Branford, Guilford y Madison. El horario de lunes a viernes de la Ruta 201 se puede encontrar aquí.
• Ruta 641 de River Valley Transit: sirve a Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Clinton y Madison. El horario de la Ruta 641 se puede encontrar aquí.
• Ruta 643 de River Valley Transit: sirve a Old Saybrook, East Lyme, Old Lyme y New London. El horario de la Ruta 643 se puede encontrar aquí.

Los autobuses aceptarán la mayoría de los boletos SLE, excepto el boleto SLE de diez viajes.

Amtrak

• Acepta los siguientes boletos:
  • Boleto Mensual LES
  • Boleto de autobús SLE Mensual Plus
  • Boleto UniRail mensual de Metro-North Railroad (MNR)/SLE
  • Boleto UniRail semanal MNR/SLE
  • Boleto de diez viajes SLE
• Los asientos deben reservarse con anticipación utilizando el programa RideReserve de Amtrak.
• Los boletos se pueden comprar a través de la aplicación de Amtrak, el sitio web de Amtrak o un agente de boletos en las estaciones New Haven Union, Old Saybrook o New London.

Don’t forget to review your preferences on our alerts page to ensure you receive the most up-to-date information for your travels.

Starting Tuesday, September 5, a new Shore Line East schedule will take effect, impacting weekday and weekend service. These changes are necessary to accommodate Amtrak’s construction work in the area, which is expected to last through December 2023.

During this time, however, Amtrak will expand the number of trains that will honor Shore Line East tickets. This program allows Shore Line East Multi-Ride ticket holders to ride the following trains: 

Amtrak 86, 93, 94, 95, 137, 172, 173, 176, 177, 178

Shore Line East Multi-Ride tickets include: 

• Monthly Tickets
• Ten-Trip Tickets
• Monthly Plus Bus Tickets
• Metro-North and Shore Line East Monthly and Weekly UniRail Tickets

When traveling on Amtrak, please also be aware of the following: 

• Seats must be booked in advance using Amtrak’s RideReserve Program
• Tickets can be purchased through the Amtrak app, the Amtrak website, or a ticket agent at New Haven Union, Old Saybrook, or New London Stations

In addition to the Amtrak cross-honoring system, alternative bus commuting options are available. The following bus routes will accept all SLE tickets except the SLE Ten-Trip Ticket:

• CTtransit Route 201:
  • This bus stops in New Haven, Branford, Guilford, and Madison. The Route 201 weekday schedule can be found here.

• River Valley Transit Route 641:
  • This bus stops in Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Clinton, and Madison. The Route 641 schedule can be found here.

• River Valley Transit Route 643:
  • This bus stops in Old Saybrook, East Lyme, Old Lyme, and New London. The Route 643 schedule can be found here.

The full Connecticut Department of Transportation press release can be found here.

Please refer to ShoreLineEast.com for further info and detailed schedule information.

Don’t forget to review your preferences on our alerts page to ensure you receive the most up-to-date information for your travels.

On Monday, September 4th, in observance of Labor Day, CTrail Shore Line East will operate on a weekend/holiday schedule.

Don’t forget to review your preferences on our alerts page to ensure you are receiving the most up-to-date information for your travels.

We hope you have a happy and safe Labor Day!

We are writing to inform you that the Old Saybrook Train Station (fenced-in lot east of North Main St) will be closed from Monday, September 11, to Friday, September 15, for construction and renovations.

Alternative parking is available at the extension lot west of North Main St., adjacent to the bus shelters. Directional signs will be posted to help you easily find your parking options.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has recently announced the publication of the Department‘s first-ever Customer Experience (CX) Action Plan for transit customers across the state. The plan was developed by engaging with public transportation service providers, stakeholders, community partners, and transit customers to collect feedback and identify actions that can be taken to make transit a more pleasant, reliable, and efficient experience for everyone. It is now available for review via this link.