Connecticut broke ground today on construction of a new train station in Enfield that will restore passenger rail service to the town for the first time since 1986, Governor Ned Lamont announced.
The station, located in the Thompsonville neighborhood, is part of the Hartford Line Rail Program and will fill an approximately 15-mile gap between Springfield Union Station and Windsor Locks, reconnecting Enfield residents to destinations across Connecticut and Massachusetts.
The $125.3 million project is funded through approximately 85 percent state funding and 15 percent federal funding from the Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Construction is expected to be completed in fall 2030.
The new, fully accessible station will feature a 350-foot platform, an enclosed waiting area with covered seating, canopies, wind screens, and an electric snow-melting system. It will include 80 parking spaces with electric vehicle charging for approximately 15 spaces, and a dedicated bus area accommodating two full-size buses connecting to Enfield's Magic Carpet bus service.
The project also includes replacement of the railroad bridge over Main Street, roadway improvements, new sidewalks, streetscape improvements, pedestrian connections, and realignment of approximately 4,400 feet of track. Signal, communications, drainage, and utility upgrades are planned, along with a new gauntlet track to accommodate oversized freight shipments.
The station is projected to serve nearly 130,000 annual passenger trips by 2031. Travel times are expected to be approximately 23 minutes to Hartford and 13 minutes to Springfield by rail.