Metro-North Railroad
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chair and CEO Janno Lieber on April 1 joined Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto at Grand Central Terminal in New York City to welcome Justin Vonashek, who spent his first day as Metro-North President greeting customers riding the newly announced Super Express trains operating on the New Haven Line. Among the riders Vonashek talked with were those arriving at Grand Central on the 5:32 a.m. train from New Haven, which MTA reported has an improved run time of 90 minutes and arrives at 7:02 a.m., 10 minutes earlier than previously scheduled.
Vonashek succeeded Catherine Rinaldi, who retired March 31 and was one of Railway Age’s 2021 Women in Rail honorees. He was promoted to lead the regional/commuter railroad following service as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Metro-North on March 30 began running new schedules, which now include what the railroad is calling “the fastest Super Express train service available between New Haven, Bridgeport, and Grand Central Terminal, part of an effort to streamline service along the New Haven Line and the railroad overall.”
According to Metro-North, its team used “specialized train-simulation software and in-depth analyses of GPS and signal data to create new timetables that shave up to 10 minutes from some New Haven Line trains both into and out of New York.” It noted that improvements to signaling infrastructure have allowed the railroad to increase train speeds and reduce the effect of speed restrictions along the New Haven line, resulting in improved run times for some trains.
“Using comprehensive and thoughtful analysis combined with signal and infrastructure improvements we’ve made, Metro-North has created optimized train schedules that greatly improve our customers’ experience,” Justin Vonashek said. “Super Express travelers save as much as 25 minutes each way, 250 minutes each week, and more than nine full days annually to spend with their friends and family.”
“When the New Haven Super Express trains launched in 2022 it delivered on a promise to improve speeds on the New Haven Line and provided the fastest trips between Connecticut and Grand Central Terminal in more than a decade,” CTDOT Commissioner Eucalitto said. “Today, thanks to our strong partnership with the MTA and Metro-North Railroad, and with the continued support of Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and the state’s legislature, these trains are getting commuters to their destinations even quicker. The Connecticut Department of Transportation looks forward to continued successes as we work closely with Metro-North President Vonashek and MTA CEO Lieber.”
In related news, Metro-North Railroad’s on-time performance has hit an all-time high, exceeding 98% in 2024 and marking the fifth consecutive year that performance was greater than 97%. On all three of its commuter rail lines east of the Hudson River (see map above), Metro-North ran more than 98% of its trains on time. The Hudson Line’s on-time performance was 98.7%; Harlem Line, 98.3%; and New Haven Line, 98.2%.
Further Reading: Hochul Hawks Hudson Valley Rail Improvements
Sound Transit
Leading up to opening day (May 10), Sound Transit has started the final phase of testing for the 2 Line’s 3.4-mile Downtown Redmond Link Extension, adding stations at Marymoor Village and Downtown Redmond, which will become the permanent 2 Line terminus on the Eastside (see map below). Light rail vehicles are running in simulated service between Redmond Technology and Downtown Redmond stations.
This the second segment of Link 2 Line service. The initial segment between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology Station launched April 27, 2024. Sound Transit expects the full 2 Line to open this year with the completion of the 1-90 segment of East Link. The I-90 segment will add the Mercer Island and Judkins Park stations and connect to the 1 Line at the International District/Chinatown Station in downtown Seattle.
To help riders plan for opening day of the Downtown Redmond Link Extension, Sound Transit has launched a new informational website: soundtransit.org/helloredmond. The May 10 celebration will start at 10:30 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Downtown Redmond Station. Service is anticipated to start around noon. Community events at both the Marymoor Village and Downtown Redmond stations will run from noon to 4 p.m.
“May 10 will be an historic day in Redmond,” Redmond Mayor and Sound Transit Board Member Angela Birney said. “The City and our community have been planning for these stations for decades, and it is because of the collaboration with our many partners that these stations will soon be a reality and provide an additional transportation option for so many.”
Separately, Sound Transit recently appointed Dow Constantine as CEO.
SMART
SMART’s new Windsor station is scheduled to open for commuter rail service in late spring 2025 as part of the Windsor Rail System Extension Project, a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)-supported 3.1-mile extension from the northern terminus of SMART’s current system at Sonoma County, Airport Station to the town of Windsor.
“We don’t have a set date yet, but our plan is to open up for passengers before our grand [opening] party on June 13,” SMART Communications and Marketing manager Julia Gonzalez told The Press Democrat.
The $70 million project includes just over three miles of Class IV main line track, four bridges, one station with amenities, three miles of paved bicycle-pedestrian pathway, gauntlet tracks to accommodate freight train passage, five at-grade crossings, and federally mandated Positive Train Control, according to SMART and Caltrans. The project’s Windsor station is the fourteenth station in the SMART system.
The current 45-mile SMART system includes stations in the Sonoma County Airport area, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Petaluma, Novato, San Rafael, and Larkspur (see map below). It also includes a bicycle and pedestrian pathway along the rail corridor. Future extensions are planned for Healdsburg and Cloverdale.
Beginning April 5 and continuing throughout this month, test trains will operate seven days per week between the airport station and the Windsor station from 7:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m. Systems testing is done to evaluate the safe operation of warning devices, train control system, and proper speed enforcement throughout the railway extension to Windsor, SMART said.
