Status of Danbury Branch Signalization Project

I searched on Google news for any articles recently regarding the Danbury Branch Signal system and found this article from the Wilton Villager. Jodi Rell is in Cannondale at a groundbreaking for the new signal system.

Attached is the link to the article.

http://wiltonvillager.com/story/472649

WILTON -- Gov. M. Jodi Rell will be visiting Wilton's Cannondale Train Station on Tuesday morning to break ground on a Danbury line project that's being paid for by federal stimulus funds. The groundbreaking ceremony will take place at 11 a.m.

Does anyone know what they are putting in near the Cannondale Train Station? Seems like kind of an interesting place to do a groundbreaking. Will they also be putting dwarf signals in near the passing siding in Branchville, Cannondale and the crossover in Danbury?

theres a grade crossing there.

theres a grade crossing there.

Yeah I knew that there was a grade crossing there.

I Was looking on the Connecticut Plus Newspaper website and found another article that has a little more information than the Wilton Villager did about the proposed Danbury signal system.

Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the state is greatly expanding a commuter rail project by upgrading all 24 miles of the Danbury Branch of the New Haven Line railroad with modern, remotely controlled signals.

The Governor said the original proposal called for replacing the outdated, manual signals in the eight-mile stretch between Norwalk and Wilton. During a ceremony today at the historic Cannondale Station in Wilton, the Governor was pleased to announce that signals along the entire 24-mile track between Norwalk and Danbury will now be modernized. The $53 million project will be paid for using $30 million in federal stimulus funds and a previously approved Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant.

Attached is a link to the article:
http://www.connecticutplus.com/cplus/in ... 5613.shtml

In the article it basically mentions that the initial work will be by Metro North employees and that a contract will be awarded in 2010 and then be completed in 2011. I guess they are going to start out by burying the cables that are above ground underground.

What they put in at Cannondale was a $300 000 bathroom and utility closet.

I hope this is true. But the skeptic in me says I'll believe it when I'm stopped at a red signal at CP 407 (Wilton)!!!

What they put in at Cannondale was a $300 000 bathroom and utility closet.

Thats unbelievable $300,000 for a bathroom and a Utility closet must be a nice luxurious bathroom.

I hope this is true. But the skeptic in me says I'll believe it when I'm stopped at a red signal at CP 407 (Wilton)

I guess this day in age you just have to see it when it happens. They did give the project a completion date of 2011. It will be interesting to see if that deadline is met.

$30 million is just a drop in bucket, if they have to put ACSES in it means every cab car and genesis needs upgrading, expect this $30 million to double.

$30 million is just a drop in bucket, if they have to put ACSES in it means every cab car and genesis needs upgrading, expect this $30 million to double.

Yeah didn't think of that. That would be a huge project upgrading every cab car and genesis locomotive. Do they plan on putting ACSES on the Danbury branch or would that be upgraded when the mainline is upgraded?

Since the Danbury project is a new service, full PTC is required.

...and since PTC will be required on all passenger lines by 2015, why would you spend money to do anything less than that now?

And keep in mind that ACSES (or whatever variant MNR decides to install) will be required systemwide, so the cost of outfitting rolling stock with the necessary upgrades would be spread across the entire railroad, not borne entirely by the Danbury Branch project. The Danbury Branch project would reasonably pay for the cost of outfitting the number of cab cars and locomotives that are required for Danbury Branch service

Jim

Thats nice that the cost of upgrading all of the locomotives and cab cars would be spread across the whole railroad and not put the burden just on the Danbury Branch project. I agree that it makes sense to put the most current ACSES system on the line, that way it is less money spent later on to upgrade to the federal standards.

Found another article from the Danbury News Times regarding the signal project.

WILTON -- Initially sidetracked by a lack of funding, work to improve the daily commute along Metro-North Railroad's Danbury line is to begin in late fall, thanks to the federal stimulus package.

"There are a lot of folks out there that are dubious about jobs and the federal stimulus money," state Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, said. "This is really big."

Below is the link to the article:
http://www.newstimes.com/ci_12933070

It's interesting reading some of the comments that people think about the project.

I believe route 7 was supposed to be done last summer with their 2 lane construction work. Its hell going through there in wilton and cannondale. I take the train when I can. I hope for more service weekends and through train service to stamford CT. there are none that go to stamford direct on weekends from Danbury. Its still faster even with the 2 connections for door to door service Old Greenwich to Danbury via train than driving. Now just get a sign on route 7: avoid major delays Take the train!

MNCRR9000 wrote:

What they put in at Cannondale was a $300 000 bathroom and utility closet.

Thats unbelievable $300,000 for a bathroom and a Utility closet must be a nice luxurious bathroom.

I hope this is true. But the skeptic in me says I'll believe it when I'm stopped at a red signal at CP 407 (Wilton)

I guess this day in age you just have to see it when it happens. They did give the project a completion date of 2011. It will be interesting to see if that deadline is met.

Is Bethel Lower going to be restored as part of this project as well, or is that part of the never-ending electrification/New Milford extension/double-tracking/etc. study?

Good news and Cannondale was probably selected as it's photogenic.

It wouldn't be such a bad idea if more direct sevice were to go to Stamford on the weekends especially now since more cars have been put into Metro North service from WOH service (Comets), and lets not forget the former SLE Shoreliner II's (cabs) sitting at Croton Harmon waiting to go into service. You got the Husking Bee (6219 nee 1687) sitting at Stamford Yard also to return back to Metro North Service. This project does help!