# CT Rail

CT Rail, stylized as CTrail, is the brand for commuter rail services overseen by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), in the U.S. state of Connecticut, with services on the Hartford Line extending into Massachusetts. CTDOT oversees two lines: Shore Line East, between New Haven and New London, Connecticut, and the Hartford Line, from New Haven, through Hartford, to Springfield, Massachusetts.
Services are operated under contract, with Shore Line East operated by Amtrak along the Northeast Corridor, and the Hartford Line operated by a joint venture of TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts. CT Rail trains, along with other CTDOT rail operations, use the reporting mark CNDX.

## Lines

CT Rail operates two commuter rail lines: the Hartford Line and Shore Line East. Both lines utilize portions of the Northeast Corridor, with trains terminating at Union Station in New Haven.

### Hartford Line

The Hartford Line runs between New Haven Union Station in New Haven, Connecticut and Springfield Union Station in Springfield, Massachusetts, running through Hartford, Connecticut. Ten CT Rail round trips operate on weekdays, and six on weekends. This service is supplemented by eight additional roundtrips run by the Amtrak Hartford Line, which operates along the same route. CT Rail Hartford Line tickets are accepted on the Amtrak Hartford Line, and vice versa; however, the Vermonter inter-city service does not participate despite running along the same route. This line is a joint venture between the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The line is not electrified and is a mostly double track route that uses diesel locomotives. Service began on June 16, 2018. The majority of the Hartford Line's route is along the New Haven–Springfield Line, with two stations in New Haven, Union Station and State Street, being on the Northeast Corridor.

### Shore Line East

CT Rail's Shore Line East commuter rail service runs between New London and New Haven. Ten round trips operate on weekdays, and eight on weekends. Limited weekday service extends along Metro North's New Haven Line to Stamford. When service initially started along the line on May 29, 1990, Shore Line East commuter trains were intended to be a temporary measure in order to reduce congestion along Interstate 95 during a highway construction project. However, the service was made permanent due to more ridership than initially anticipated. Pre-COVID, the line had an average daily ridership of about 2,100 riders. It runs along the Northeast Corridor for its entire length. Since May 2022, Shore Line East has used Kawasaki M8 electric multiple units to provide service on the line.

## Rolling stock
### Current

CT Rail uses the following rolling stock for its commuter rail operations: All Electric Multiple Unit cars are used on the electrified Shore Line East running on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor while locomotive hauled trains with passenger coaches are used on Amtrak's non-electrified Hartford Line. M8 electric cars are shared between Shore Line East and Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line.
| Builder | Model | Active | Road numbers | Year built | Year Rebuilt | Year acquired | Notes |
| Locomotives |||||||||
| GE | P40DC | 12 | 6700–6711 | 1993 | 2018–2024 | 2005, 2015 | Ex-Amtrak and NJ Transit |
| EMD | GP40-3H | 6 | 6694–6699 | 1971 | 2017-2019 | 1996 | |
| Coaches |||||||||
| Mafersa | Coaches | 33 | 1701–1719 (cab cars, odd numbers only) 1730–1774 (coach cars, even numbers only) | 1991–1992 | 2004 | 2004 | Ex-Virginia Railway Express.Used for Hartford Line service |
| Electric Multiple Units |||||||||
| Kawasaki | M8 Railcar | 471 | 9100–9474 | 2011–2015, 2019–2022 | N/A | 2011–2022 | Shared with Metro-North.12 used for Shore Line East service |

### Future

In August 2023, CTDOT approved a $315 million contract with Alstom for 60 single-level Adessia passenger cars. The cars will replace the existing coach fleet on the Hartford Line along with the Metro-North Waterbury Branch and Danbury Branch. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2026.

### Retired

| Builder | Model | Road numbers | Year built | Year Rebuilt | Year acquired | Year retired | Notes |
| Locomotives |||||||||
| EMD | F7 | 6690-6691 | 1953 | 1970s | 1990 | Late-1990s | Ex-PATrain. Kept in reserve fleet into the 2000s. To Galveston Railroad Museum as "Santa Fe 315 and 316". |
| EMD | GP38 | 253, 257 | 1966 | | 1991 | Late-1990s | Leased, later purchased from Pan Am Railways. |
| EMD | GP7 | 471 | 1950 | 1985, 1994 | 1991 | Late-1990s | Leased, later purchased from Pan Am Railways. Rebuilt by Amtrak in 1994 with an EMD 645 engine. Now operated by the Orrville Railroad Heritage Society since 2000. |
| Coaches |||||||||
| Pullman Company | Coaches | 1600-1606 | 1950s | 1980s | 1991 | Late-1990s | Ex-PATrain. |
| Pullman Company | Control cars | 1680-1682 | 1950s | 1980s | 1991 | Late-1990s | Ex-PATrain. |
| Bombardier Transportation | Shoreliner III | 1614, 1616 | 1991 | | 1991 | 2000s | To Metro-North Railroad pool. |
| Bombardier Transportation | Shoreliner III | 1640-1646 | 1991 | | 1991 | 2000s | Coaches fitted with head-end power (HEP) generators for use with the GP38s and GP7. To Metro-North Railroad pool. |
| Bombardier Transportation | Shoreliner III | 1691-1697 | 1991 | | 1991 | 2000s | Cab cars, fitted with HEP generators for use with the GP38s and GP7. To Metro-North Railroad pool. |
| Budd | Constitution Liner | 1001 | 1980 | 1994-5 | 1980 | 2004 | Ex-CDOT/Amtrak 997; used as a conference car by Governor John Rowland. To Danbury Railway Museum in 2018. |
| Budd | Constitution Liner | 1621-1633 | 1980 | 1994-5 | 1980 | 2004 | 7 cars sold to Foxville and Northern Railroad in 2018, five to Tren Interoceánico in 2023. |
| Budd | Constitution Liner | 1671-1675 | 1980 | 1994-5 | 1980 | 2004 | 7 cars sold to Foxville and Northern Railroad in 2018, five to Tren Interoceánico in 2023. |
| MBB | Coaches | 501, 503, 505, 508, 509, 516, 517, 522, 526, 527, 528, 532, 1505, 1509, 1518, 1520 | 1988 | 2017–2018 | 2017–2018 | 2022 | Leased from MBTA. |