Photo courtesy of Wikimedia user 209harrison / Public domain

Waterbury will see a dramatic increase in the number of trains linking it to Stamford and New York City in the coming months under a plan announced by Gov. Ned Lamont yesterday.

The governor said that the Waterbury Metro-North line will get a second track, letting 22 trains run the route each day. Currently, only 15 do. Waterbury Line riders must change trains in Bridgeport to continue on to New York City, New Haven or Stamford.

Lamont made the announcement during a visit to Ansonia’s Metro-north station.

Upgrades to the 27-mile-long, six-station track will be finished by the summer of 2022 and will be paid for with $1.23 million in state funds and an equal amount of federal dollars.

“I have been laser-focused on improving rail and transportation throughout the state since I came into office, and the Waterbury Branch is a prime example of infrastructure in the state that needs significant upgrades,” Lamont said in a statement. “We are building a transportation system that will lead to more jobs, economic growth, and more money in people’s pockets. Next, the federal infrastructure bill is going to put a historic amount of money into our state to support new roads, bridges, rail, and public transit. It’s going to put people back to work, and it’s going to get our state moving again.”

The investments are part of Lamont’s Time for CT initiative, which maps out a path for Connecticut to get faster and more frequent train service in-state and connecting it to new York City. Lamont’s office said the $5.38 billion – $1.63 billion above what the state would otherwise have received – the state will receive under a bipartisan infrastructure bill that looks set to pass Congress soon will help enhance public transit service statewide, repair bridges, build electric vehicle charging stations and more.