New Britain State Senator Terry Gerratana (D-6) joined Gov. Dannel Malloy (D-CT) and other dignitaries on June 15, 2018 in celebrating the culmination of years of transportation investment at the official opening of service on the much anticipated Hartford Line commuter rail service.
The Hartford Line runs between Springfield and New Haven, providing transportation to and from eight stations along the route. The new rail line connects people central and northern Connecticut with the commuter rail transportation that, until now, only people on the shoreline could use.
From New Britain, people will be able to either use the CTFastrak to connect with CT rail trains from Union Station in Hartford or park at the Berlin Station and catch the train there.
Gerratana said that she worked to secure state funds to build the new station in Berlin after the old landmark train station there was destroyed in a 2016 fire.
The Berlin Station is located at 51 Depot Road in Berlin. There are surface parking 220 spaces available at at rate of $2.00 per day. There are daily and monthly parking options available, and fees can be paid advance at parking payment kiosks.
A combination of Amtrak and the new CT rail trains provide service for the Hartford Line that includes seventeen trips a day between Hartford and New Haven. Twelve trains a day continue on from Hartford to Springfield.
From New Haven, people will be able to travel the Metro-North system into New York and back.
For those wishing to try out the Hartford Line, the state’s Hartford Line website says that,
All Hartford Line trains are free this upcoming weekend, June 16-17. Hartford Line trains include CTrail and Amtrak trains operating between Springfield and New Haven, with the exception of the Amtrak Vermonter (trains 54, 55, 56, and 57). Note that a ticket is required for Amtrak trains. CTrail service ambassadors wearing red shirts will be handing out complimentary tickets on the platforms at all stations throughout the weekend.
Train schedules and fare amounts are listed on the Hartford Line website at www.hartfordline.com/fares-schedules/. The website also has “trip planner” (www.hartfordline.com/trip-planner/) that allows people to enter the which stations they wish to travel to and from, as well as the date and time they wish to depart or arrive. The “trip planner” then provides different possible train options, fare information and the times of connecting trains.
Tickets to the trains can be purchased at ticket vending machines at any Hartford Line station other than Windsor or Windsor Locks. CTrail Hartford Line tickets are also available, as a connecting service to and from Metro-North New Haven Line trains, at Metro-North ticket vending machines.
