Carlo Leone

Stamford Station Upgrade is Latest of Many Metro-North Improvements

Leone: 400+ new rail cars, station facelift & more will transform FFC rail experience

STAMFORD—Today State Senator Carlo Leone (D-Stamford, Darien) welcomed news that the City of Stamford will receive a $10.5 million federal TIGER grant for extensive renovations at the Stamford Transportation Center.

“Today’s announcement marks only the latest in a series of improvements to Metro-North in Fairfield County,” said Senator Leone. “By 2014, more than 400 brand new M-8 rail cars will be put into service on Metro-North’s New Haven Line. And a study is now underway to examine parking and other improvements at Stamford’s Glenbrook and Springdale rail stations. Moving forward, we must expand on these projects to create a master infrastructure plan for the next 20 years of Stamford’s growth.”

He continued, “The Stamford Transportation Center is a gateway to our city, and the largest stop in Connecticut for passengers on the Metro-North Railroad. Thousands of people commute to and from the station daily, contributing greatly to Stamford’s economy and easing the congestion of our local highways. This renovation project will yield great benefits for Stamford.”

The $10.5 million federal TIGER grant will fund part of a $39 million collaborative renovation project at the Stamford Transportation Center, in cooperation with the City of Stamford, the State of Connecticut and Building & Land Technology (developer of the nearby Harbor Point complex).

Work at the Center will include construction of pedestrian bridges and ramps for passengers, streetscape work, and ridership capacity improvements to prepare the station for projected passenger increases. New waiting areas, lighting and signage will also be installed at the station’s bus terminal.

The State of Connecticut and Metro-North have purchased a total of 405 M-8 rail cars to modernize the fleet of the New Haven Line, which should be in service by 2014. There are currently 337 cars available for the New Haven Line, 230 of which are more than 40 years old, dating to the 1970s.

In October, the State Bond Commission approved $460,000 for the City of Stamford to conduct a study on parking and redevelopment of the Glenbrook and Springdale station areas on the New Canaan Branch of the New Haven Rail Line.