Connecticut Gov. M Jodi Rell and five other governors in the Northeast are lobbying for alternative services as Amtrak next month will limit rail service between Boston and New Haven for four days due to system upgrades.
Rell called upon Amtrak to meet with state department of transportation officials to map out other options for passengers.
“The plan to shut down service without providing any alternatives is unacceptable,” Rell said in a press release. “It will negatively affect travelers not only in the Boston-New Haven corridor, but also travelers to and from New York City and beyond.”
There will be no trains between the two cities on June 14 and only one train running on an alternative inland route June 15-17. The Boston to Washington, D.C., corridor, which stops in New Haven, is Amtrak’s busiest rail line.
Amtrak has been notifying customers of the service disruption through the media and other campaigns. In a prepared statement, Amtrak said state officials had been notified of the situation earlier this year.
“We were somewhat surprised to receive a letter now on this topic, requesting that we meet with state DOTs on this subject, because on Feb. 29, Amtrak provided an overview to all the Northeast Corridor states about our service disruption plans at a meeting in Washington,” according to Amtrak’s statement.
Signing onto Rell’s letter are New York Gov. David Paterson, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, and Maine Gov. John Baldacci.
