Mayor Blake Fights for Milford Railroad Improvements

Robert Jochim October 3, 2012 at 12:23 pm

Mayor Blake conveniently forgets to mention the 50 or so properties in Milford, north of Rt 15, that will be taken via eminent domain if one proposed version of the high-speed rail goes through. He also fails to mention where the money to fund this is coming from; our nation is flat-out broke, and continually off-loading it's debt to generations of Americans who haven't even been born yet. Talk about taxation without representation...

Michael Brown October 3, 2012 at 12:50 pm

I heard about the tunnel under Long Island Sound which will begin in Milford, but I hadn't heard of any construction North of Route 15. Can you direct us to a map? Do you own property North of Route 15?

Michael Brown October 3, 2012 at 12:57 pm

And as for "conveniently forget[ting]". I remind you that this segment is called "A Minute with the Mayor" and not "All Thing Considered."

RONALD M GOLDWYN October 3, 2012 at 01:55 pm

Mayor, you are talking like a Republican in saying we have a plan for trains and railroads. Get down to brass tacks (an expression meaning how many brass tacks are there on your rifle butt indicating how many Indians you have killed) and tell us how this effects Milford residents. See the above postings.

CuriousOrange October 3, 2012 at 02:23 pm

North of Rt 15? Really.

CuriousOrange October 3, 2012 at 02:25 pm

What Milford needs is expanded parking, such as a parking structure and enclosed waiting areas -- better: enclosed platforms that save riders from the weather. The existing station design is a relic of 19th century style and function.

Michael Brown October 3, 2012 at 02:49 pm

What are you talking about? Republicans hate mass transportation. Republicans in Washington have been relentlessly trying to dismantle AMTRAC and have been de-funding other forms of mass transportation for years.

arkay October 3, 2012 at 03:31 pm

More parking. More trains.
We need at least one TRUE express train from/to Milford at rush hour. That means no stops until GCT. Would be under an hour trip! Imagine what that would do for property value?

CB October 3, 2012 at 05:01 pm

The tracks are fine, what we need is an improved station in Milford, more new rail cars along with shuttles to the train station from other parking areas. There is no more room for parking at the train station. Where the money comes from, I don't know, but the government is pretty good at printing it when they need it.

Rick October 3, 2012 at 05:33 pm

An express train from Milford to NYC would be great! Let's call Ben Blake about this idea. The train to Grand Central is too long! I do believe this would improve values and let's bring some businesses to the downtown area. More restaurants and shopping.

Ed October 3, 2012 at 05:35 pm

@CB...I agree the station needs a face-lift...but regarding the rails cars...the ones they are using qualify for AARP benefits...Cost rises and everything else stays the same.

Ed October 3, 2012 at 05:39 pm

@Rick...the best you will see is the express from GCT to Fairfield, then local to New Haven.

Ed October 3, 2012 at 05:43 pm

The key is better off site parking and not a clumsy parking structure...the way the station is laid out is fine and keeping its historic 19th century look is a good thing...A little walk across the green never hurt anyone..

Michael Brown October 3, 2012 at 06:13 pm

And finally, stop listening to Ron Paul. The United States is not "flat-out broke." We actually rank among the richest countries in the world in gross domestic product (GDP) and purchasing power parity per capita (PPP). Stop badmouthing America.

RONALD M GOLDWYN October 3, 2012 at 09:28 pm

I'm not a commuter, but didn't Milford just get a new train station? As for what the mayor is talking about, I believe it is not what can be done for individual communities, but rather what will be done for the system, regardless of what we may want.

Starla October 3, 2012 at 10:14 pm

Not only should we expand and improve our rail system, but we should be thinking about expanding I-95 or constructing a new highway. When I look at interstate maps of the lower 48, it appears to me that Connecticut has gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to the number of highways built.

Starla October 3, 2012 at 10:17 pm

Mass transit improvements, highway construction, new schools, hospitals, etc., sometimes requires the condemning of private property. It is nothing new.

LAM October 3, 2012 at 11:10 pm

@starla:Tell the Government to use your home, if not then stop supporting Government created human misery.

LAM October 3, 2012 at 11:16 pm

@starla: The enviromentalists will fight highway expansion tooth and nail. Little California, sorry I mean Connecticut being under extreme left wing single party rule would never go against a fellow extreme left wing group.

Jim H October 4, 2012 at 03:02 am

The level of ignorance of most of these posting is amazing. It's obvious many of the posts are from people ignorant of current train travel at the Milford station. First the train station just had a major upgrade several years ago. What is sad is the quality of the work was in some areas very poor. The concrete on the stairs just installed has already deteriorated. The issue is first and for most parking not only in Milford but along the entire line. It needs to be expanded in order to increase train travel and get more people using trains. Another issue is the schedule is inadequate particularly in the a.m. Just after rush hour. To the person commenting on the condition of the train when was the last time you were on the trains? Many of the train cars have already been upgraded to the new cars and that process is continuing.

Starla October 4, 2012 at 11:36 am

@LAM I hardly think the creation and upgrading of our infrastructure leads to human misery. With your attitude, we'd still be using horse trails.

Starla October 4, 2012 at 11:37 am

@LAM California probably has the most interstates per capital in the entire country.

CB October 4, 2012 at 11:47 am

Regarding the train schedule, there are only so many trains they can run down the far right track to pick people up at the stations and still keep it safe. They have purchased new rail cars, but they still need more. I think shuttle buses should run from the commuter lots near the highways to the train station. You could turn all of downtown Milford into a parking lot and people would still complain it's not enough.

CB October 4, 2012 at 11:52 am

CT has enough highways for this little state. I91, I95, I84, Rt 9, Rt 15, I 395, Parts of Rt 7, Rt 695, parts of Rt 2, and probably a few others I can't remember. Where on earth would we put new highways? We need better road maintenance, and in some spots redesigned sections of roads, but no more highways
.

CuriousOrange October 4, 2012 at 12:23 pm

The new station is simply longer platforms, not a new design. If you were a commuter, you would know that neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night ever makes using that station fun -- or even in the slightest way attractive. On bad-weather days only the most dedicated commuters take the train, huddled wet masses sitting still for over an hour. The next day, all those would could skip riding in the rain show up, making the ride standing room only. New Haven has a decent station -- but who wants to drive to New Haven to take the train to New York?