CTfastrak
 | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters |
2800 Berlin Turnpike Newington, CT |
| Locale | Central Connecticut |
| Service area | Connecticut |
| Service type | Bus rapid transit |
| Stations | 10 |
| Operator | Connecticut Transit |
| Website | ctfastrak.com |
CTfastrak, also known as the New Britain-Hartford Busway, is Connecticut's first bus rapid transit line, between Union Station in Hartford and downtown New Britain, in central Connecticut. Operated by Connecticut Transit, the project officially broke ground on May 22, 2012 and opened to the public on March 28, 2015.[1][2][3]
The CTfastrak dedicated busway transit project was judged to be the most cost-effective way of relieving congestion on Interstate 84 between Hartford, West Hartford, Newington and New Britain.[4] The 9.4-mile line is projected to cost $570 million, of which more than two-thirds ($400 million) is funded by federal grants.[5]
Service plan
The busway follows the route of an abandoned railroad (the "Newington Secondary") from downtown New Britain to near the former Newington Junction station. It runs parallel to the current Amtrak rail line. Other public bus routes may enter the dedicated bus roadway at various points to speed their trip to downtown Hartford. Sixteen new or rehabilitated bridges support the CTfastrak route, and the project included the construction of a new access road for Amtrak maintenance vehicles, as well as a five-mile fenced multi-use trail for walking and bicycling between Downtown New Britain and Newington Junction.[6][7]
Along much of its length, CTfastrak is constructed as a grade-separated limited-access highway.
CTfastrak passenger service running through the Sigourney Street Station and Union Station stop includes a downtown Hartford "loop".
Five new "circulator" routes provide crosstown service to communities outside the CTfastrak right-of-way, but do not serve downtown Hartford. The Newington Circulator, in particular, replaces parts of Connecticut Transit's 69–Capitol Avenue and 507–Oak Street bus routes, to name a few.
In addition, the 923–Plainville-Bristol Express and 924–Southington-Cheshire Express bus services (which previously used existing roads) operate between Waterbury and the CTfastrak right-of-way, providing communities such as Southington, Cheshire, and Bristol with improved public transportation and faster commutes.
The existing Route 41, which connected Hartford and New Britain prior to CTfastrak's opening, will continue to run between Downtown Hartford and Downtown New Britain, but will run through Newington Center.[8]
| Route | Route Name | Outbound terminus | Inbound terminus | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Hartford/New Britain Shuttle | New Britain Station | Downtown Hartford @ Travelers | ALL CTtransit Hartford local and express routes ALL CTfastrak local and express routes Amtrak CTrail Hartford Line (coming in late 2016) |
| 102 | Hartford/Bristol via New Britain Station | Downtown Bristol: Main St & Riverside Ave | Downtown Hartford @ Travelers | CTtransit New Britain: 502 CTtransit Bristol: 541 CTtransit Hartford Express: 923 |
| 121 | MCC/Hartford/UConn Health | UConn Health, Farmington | Manchester Comm. College, Manchester | CTtransit Hartford: 66, 82, 83, 84, 86, 87, 88, 91, 94, 95, 96 CTtransit New Britain: 506 CTfastrak: 101, 102, 128, 144, 153, 161 |
| 128 | New Britain/Westfarms/Hartford via Stanley St | New Britain Station | Downtown Hartford @ Travelers | CTtransit Hartford: 33, 39, 64, 69 CTtransit New Britain: 501, 502, 503, 505, 506, 507, 509, 511, 512 CTfastrak: 101, 102, 121, 144, 153, 161 |
| 140 | CCSU Connector | Cedar St Station (New Britain) | East St Station (New Britain) | CTfastrak: 101, 102, 121, 128, 144 |
| 144 | Westfarms/Jordan Lane via Cedar St | Westfarms Mall, Farmington | Jordan Lane & Silas Deane Hwy, Wethersfield | CTtransit Hartford: 33, 39, 41, 43, 47, 53, 55, 61, 69 CTtransit New Britain: 507 CTfastrak: 101, 102, 128, 140 |
| 153 | Flatbush/Copaco via West Hartford Center | Copaco Shopping Center, Bloomfield | Flatbush Station (Hartford) | CTtransit Hartford: 31, 33, 37, 50, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 69, 72, 74, 92 CTfastrak: 101, 102, 128 |
| 161 | St. Francis Hospital/Hartford Hospital via State Capitol | St. Francis Hospital, Hartford | Hartford Hospital, Hartford | CTtransit Hartford: 31, 33, 37, 39, 41, 43, 47, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 69, 72, 74, 76 CTfastrak: 101, 102, 121, 128 |
Stations and stops (east to west)
- Hartford
- Union Station
- Sigourney Street
- Park Street
- Kane Street
- West Hartford
- Newington
- Newington Junction
- Cedar Street
- New Britain
References
- ↑ "What Is CTfastrak". State of Connecticut. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
- ↑ Krafcik, Mike (17 July 2014). "CTFastrak Set To Open In March; Economic Growth Expected Along Busway". WTIC Fox CT. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ LaPorte, Mike (5 November 2014). "The Busway to the Future: Insider to CTfastrak before Opening to Public". The Live Wire. Manchester Community College. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ↑ U.S. Department Of Transportation Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Connecticut Department of Transportation. Executive Summary, New Britain-Hartford Busway. Dec 2001.
- ↑ "Busway: After More Than 12 Years, Work Starts In Earnest On Busway". tribunedigital-thecourant.
- ↑ "CTfastrak.com - HOME". ctfastrak.com.
- ↑ Simpson, Stan (30 June 2014). "DOT officials bullish on CTfastrak’s future". HartfordBusiness.com. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ↑ http://www.cttransit.com/Uploads_Schedules/h_41_wkdysched(14).pdf
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to CTfastrak. |
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