New Rail Line to Bring Multiple Environmental Changes

The new high-speed commuter rail line to be built in Windsor Center will bring more than a change in speed to public transportation. The new line will also cause changes in the local environment, town officials say.

The project will require the construction of new high-level platforms and a second track parallel to the existing rails. It will also require a number of smaller maintenance and rehabilitation projects to bridges and drainage structures and systems along Windsor's portion of the rail line. Addressing such issues will potentially have an impact on wetlands, particularly "in the vicinity of the Route 291 area," according to Windsor Town Manager Peter Souza.

Increased noise will also be a factor, says Souza, who, in his recent town manager's report, suggested the increased number of train trips and the elevation of railroad crossings will force the town to apply for federal "Quiet Zone Designations," which will enable the trains to disable warning horns as they approach crossings in residential areas.

According to Souza, the town will be working alongside the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) to mitigate increased noise pollution, and will closely look at necessary safety improvements at each crossing. As a part of this process, the town and the DOT will be contacting property owners in the immediate vicinity of the crossings to notify them of improvement plans.

The construction of the rail line will be accompanied by considerable modifications to the existing train station, for which .

Plans have included the construction of a multi-level parking facility behind Town Hall.

Windsor's train station is one of the 12 planned stops on the New-Haven-Hartford-Springfield commuter rail line that the state hopes to have operational by 2016.