United States: Connecticut Breaks Ground on $1.6bn Metro-North New Haven Line Overhaul

Connecticut officials broke ground on 27 July 2026 on TIME-1, the first phase of a $1.6 billion modernization of Metro-North's New Haven Line under the state's TIME FOR CT infrastructure programme, Governor Ned Lamont's office said.

TIME-1 covers a roughly three-mile section between Bridgeport and Stratford at a cost of $340.7 million, funded by $184 million from the Federal Railroad Administration, $145.5 million from the State of Connecticut and $11.2 million from Amtrak. Work includes new catenary structures, turnouts at the East Bridgeport Rail Yard, replacement of the Longbrook Avenue Bridge, and track and signal upgrades that will raise the line from Federal Railroad Administration Track Class 4 to Track Class 6, supporting speeds of up to 90 mph in designated sections, up from a maximum of 70 mph today. The state said Phase 1 supports about 125 jobs.

Phase 2 is expected to begin in 2030 and Phase 3 in 2031, with the remaining two phases together costing about $1.3 billion; full completion is scheduled for 2035. Combined with other planned improvements, the state said the project should cut roughly 25 minutes from the New Haven-New York City journey. The New Haven Line carries about 100,000 weekday passengers.

"Every minute we save on a commute gives people more time with their families, more time in their communities," Governor Lamont said. Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said: "We are building the rail system Connecticut needs for the future — one that gets people where they are going faster."