State Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk and Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, have something in common. They both issued statements today praising the first half dozen M8 train cars now running rampant on the Metro-North line.
“After years of delays, glitches, setbacks and rhetoric, I’m beyond pleased that the first new train ran on the Metro North line today,” Duff said in a statement. “For far too long, riders on this line—the busiest rail line in the country—have been dealing with crowded conditions and cars in serious disrepair as they make their daily commute. While we have a long way to go before all of the new cars are in active service on the line, this is a great step toward better, more reliable conditions on Metro North.”
Boucher, ranking member of the legislative Transportation Committee: “Our long beleaguered commuters have been waiting for these rail upgrades for decades. This winter has been particularly hard on old antiquated rail cars that have been in disrepair limiting rail service. This is welcome news to those who have been suffering through what has been described as a commuter’s nightmare.”
Mechanical problems have rocked about 40 percent of the Metro-North cars this winter, resulting in a truncated schedule and standing-room-only accommodations for one of the nation’s busiest commuter lines. There are currently 24 cars in the first round of orders and as production continues, the state will receive 10 cars a month until all 380 are up and running.