Connecticut residents may see reduced commuter-rail service to Manhattan if state lawmakers cut funds that help the Metropolitan Transportation Authority operate its New Haven Line.
The MTA, which runs New York City’s subways, buses and commuter-rail lines, may be forced to decrease service even during peak travel times if Connecticut lawmakers pass a budget that directs a smaller subsidy to the transit agency, Cathy Rinaldi, president of MTA’s Metro-North Railroad, said Wednesday during the New York transit agency’s monthly board meeting.
“It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to hold peak-hour trains” unharmed, Rinaldi said. ‘So there would potentially be cuts in the peak, which is obviously extremely concerning given the ridership that we’re seeing in the peak.”
The New Haven route is the busiest rail line for Metro-North, which connects Manhattan to its northern suburbs. The possible service cuts would come as ridership is increasing after the pandemic shrank usage. The New Haven line served 6.3 million passengers in the first three months of this year, nearly 50% more than the same period in 2022, according to MTA data.
Overall Metro-North ridership this year through April is still about 35% below pre-pandemic levels, according to MTA data.
New Patterns
Connecticut’s budget proposals are based on ridership numbers and travel patterns that have changed since the pandemic, which should be reflected in the service provided, Josh Morgan, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Transportation, said in an email.
“CTDOT is working in consultation with MTA’s Metro-North to analyze current ridership patterns and possible schedule adjustments to reflect available funding,” Morgan said.
The MTA’s 2023 budget includes a $267 million subsidy payment from Connecticut’s Department of Transportation to help cover some of the costs for operating the New Haven Line. Connecticut lawmakers are mulling whether to reduce that by $38 million.
That would mean service would need to decline by about 15%, Rinaldi said. MTA officials are in contact with their counterparts in Connecticut to help resolve the issue, she said. The MTA needs to follow New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s directive to not reduce service after state lawmakers last month agreed to increase funding for the transit provider to fix projected budget gaps, Rinaldi said.
Metro-North will try to shield New York riders, “but obviously that’s a real challenge given how integrated the service plan is,” she said.
A spokesman for Governor Ned Lamont said lawmakers are negotiating the state budget and hope to announce an agreement soon.
(Updates with Connecticut Deparment of Transportation comment in sixth paragraph.)
