Waterbury Branch

Waterbury Branch
A Waterbury Branch train near Naugatuck in 2012
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerNaugatuck Railroad (1849–1887)
NYNH&H (1887–1969)
Penn Central (1969–1971)
ConnDOT (1971–present)
LocaleNaugatuck River Valley of Connecticut, USA
Termini
Stations6
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemMetro-North Railroad
Operator(s)Penn Central (1969–1976)
Conrail (1976–1983)
Metro-North Railroad (1983–present)
Rolling stockGE Genesis P32AC-DM
Brookville BL20GH
Shoreliner coaches
History
Opened1849
Technical
Line length28.5 mi (45.87 km)
Number of tracks1
CharacterSingle track, diesel motive power
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationNone
Route map
87.5 mi
140.8 km
Waterbury
Waterbury Yard
82.5 mi
132.8 km
Naugatuck
78.5 mi
126.3 km
Beacon Falls
75.0 mi
120.7 km
Seymour
71.1 mi
114.4 km
Ansonia
69.5 mi
111.8 km
Derby–Shelton
Zone 51
Zone 20
Devon Transfer (closed)
Housatonic River
Railroad Bridge
59.0 mi
95 km
Stratford
Zone 20
Zone 19
55.4 mi
89.2 km
Bridgeport
Amtrak Shore Line East
New Haven intermediate stops
Zone 19
Zone 16
33.0 mi
53.1 km
Stamford
Amtrak Shore Line East
Distances shown from Grand Central Terminal

The Waterbury Branch is a branch of the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line, running north from a junction in the Devon section of Milford to Waterbury, Connecticut. Originally built as the Naugatuck Railroad, it once continued north to Winsted. The part north of Waterbury is now leased from CTDOT by the Railroad Museum of New England, which operates excursion trains from Thomaston station through their operating subsidiary Naugatuck Railroad (reporting mark NAUG); this name was chosen in homage of the original railroad. The trackage ends in Torrington, but Metro-North service on the branch ends at Waterbury. There are conceptual plans to extend service from its current terminus in Waterbury to Hartford via Bristol and New Britain. Currently, riders that want to continue to New Britain and Hartford have to transfer to an express bus operated by CTtransit at Waterbury. All trains on this branch operate as shuttles between Waterbury and Bridgeport.

All platforms currently consist of low-level platforms with the exception of the terminal stations at Bridgeport and Waterbury. A new station consisting of a high-level platform at Derby-Shelton is currently awaiting construction, while new station plans at Ansonia, Seymour, Beacon Falls, and Naugatuck are currently awaiting designs and funding.

For most of its route, the branch runs parallel to the Naugatuck River, viewable on the right side northbound and the left side southbound.

History

In 1906, work on double-tracking the branch between Seymour and Waterbury was underway.[1] It was completed in 1907.[2]

In September 2015, it was announced that out of governor Dannel Malloy's 30-year-$100 billion transportation plan, $350 million has been included to improve service along the branch.[3] The upgrades include a new signal system with multiple passing sidings to increase service, newer equipment, and station rehabilitation.[4] Currently, only one train is allowed on the branch at a time. The signalization of the line will allow for multiple trains to safely be on the branch at a time, while allowing for increased capacity and safer train operation. Four passing sidings at Devon, Derby, Beacon Falls, and Waterbury will be built, and they were expected to be completed in 2018. Work began on a siding just north of the Derby–Shelton station and was expected to be completed in late 2015.[4][needs update] Some of the 16 grade crossings on the line will be permanently closed, while others will have gates and flashers installed to prevent accidents. The entire project was scheduled to be completed in November 2020 and will cost $73 million.

Centralized Traffic Control was activated on November 7, 2021. Taking advantage of the newly constructed signal system, an increase in service frequency from 15 to 22 trains per day (12 southbound, 10 northbound) was implemented on July 10, 2022 with super express connecting trains from Bridgeport saving commuters up to 60 minutes on their round-trip commute time. More trains are scheduled to come in the cumulative years when ridership yields it.[5]

As of 2022, the Connecticut Department of Transportation was studying the feasibility of installing catenary wire on the Waterbury Branch.[6]

Stations

The following connecting services are available to Amtrak,[7] Metro-North Railroad,[8] Shore Line East,[9] CTtransit,[10] and Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority.[11]

Zone Location Station Miles (km)
from GCT
Date
opened
Date
closed
Connections / notes
16 Stamford Stamford Disabled access 33.0 (53.1) 1849 Metro-North Railroad: New Haven Line
Amtrak: Acela, Northeast Regional, Vermonter
Metro-North Railroad: New Canaan Branch
CTrail: Shore Line East (limited service)
CTtransit Stamford: 311, 312, 313, 321, 322, 323, 331, 332, 333, 334, 341, 342, 343, 344, I-BUS Express,
Stamford Commuter Shuttle, Bulls Head, North, Route 1 East[10]
Greyhound Lines, Peter Pan Bus Lines, UConn Stamford Shuttle
Limited service station
19 Bridgeport Bridgeport Disabled access 55.4 (89.2) 1840[12] Metro-North Railroad: New Haven Line
Amtrak: Northeast Regional, Vermonter
CTrail: Shore Line East (limited service)
Greater Bridgeport Transit: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, 17, 19X, 22X, 23, Coastal Link[11]
Greyhound Lines, Peter Pan Bus Lines
Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry
Sacred Heart University Transit Shuttle, University of Bridgeport Shuttle
20 Stratford Stratford 59.0 (95.0) Metro-North Railroad: New Haven Line
CTrail: Shore Line East (limited service)
Greater Bridgeport Transit: 1, 10, 16, 23, Coastal Link[11]
51 Derby Derby–Shelton 69.5 (111.8) 1849 Greater Bridgeport Transit: 15, 23
CTtransit New Haven: 255
Ansonia Ansonia 71.1 (114.4) 1849 CTtransit New Haven: 255
Seymour Seymour 75.0 (120.7) 1849 CTtransit New Haven: 255
Beacon Falls Beacon Falls 78.5 (126.3) 1849
Naugatuck Naugatuck 82.5 (132.8) 1849 CTtransit Waterbury: N1, N2, T74
Waterbury Waterbury Disabled access 87.5 (140.8) 1849 CTfastrak: 925, 928

Rolling stock

Waterbury Branch train with depowered SPV-2000 coaches at Waterbury in 2003

The Waterbury Branch uses 2008 Brookville BL20GH and GE Genesis P32AC-DM locomotives and Shoreliner passenger coaches. Prior to the arrival of push-pull coaches, the branch used self-propelled Budd RDC and SPV-2000 railcars, the latter of which were later converted to coaches. A typical shuttle consists of three cars.

In August 2023, CTDOT approved a contract with Alstom for 60 single-level passenger cars. The cars will replace the existing Shoreliner coach fleet on the Waterbury Branch and the Danbury Branch, as well as Mafersa coaches on the Hartford Line. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2026.[13][14]

See also

References

  1. ^ Thirty-Fifth Year General Statement On The Affairs Of The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company For The Year Ending June 30, 1906. New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad Company. 1906. p. 5.
  2. ^ "Annual Report of N.Y., N.H. & H." Hartford Courant. October 3, 1907. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Waterbury Branch Commuters Using Metro-North to Hear Details On Connecticut". Fox Business. September 2, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Metro-North Waterbury branch rail line improvements underway". Shelton Herald. May 10, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  5. ^ "NEW YORK - WATERBURY: WEEKDAY SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE: July 10, 2022" (PDF).
  6. ^ Brone, Abigail (May 24, 2022). "CT's Shore Line East shifts to all-electric trains; 'It's faster, it's a lot more comfortable'". CT Insider. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  7. ^ "AMTRAK® SYSTEM TIMETABLE" (PDF). June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 6, 2018.
  8. ^ "NEW YORK–NEW HAVEN" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Shoreline East Rail Service Information (Effective: April 23, 2018)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 19, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "CT Transit Stamford System Map" (PDF). CT transit. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  11. ^ a b c "System Map - Mapa de sistema". GBT. November 5, 2017. Archived from the original on February 10, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  12. ^ "Bridgeport, CT (BRP)". Great American Stations. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  13. ^ "Alstom to supply 60 single-level coach cars to the Connecticut Department of Transportation for its statewide rail system" (Press release). Alstom. August 9, 2023.
  14. ^ "Governor Lamont Announces Purchase of 60 New Rail Cars to Modernize Commuter Rail Lines" (Press release). Connecticut Department of Transportation. August 9, 2023.

External links

KML is from Wikidata
  • Waterbury Line Station Projects
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