Metro-North decreases New Haven travel time

Those traveling on the Metro-North New Haven Line may begin to notice shorter commute times soon.

For the first time in five years, track speeds on the six-mile stretch between Woodlawn and Melrose have returned to 75 miles per hour on three of the four tracks, up from 15 mph.

As of Nov. 14, major track improvements in the Bronx have been completed, allowing for faster travel times. A new timetable went into effect Sunday.

“I want to thank our customers for their patience during the past six months as we expedited this extraordinary and essential track work,” said Metro-North President Howard Permut in a press release. Intensive upgrades began in July.

“We recognize the impact it has had on the railroad”™s ability to provide reliable, on-time service,” he said. “With the completion of this major project, customers should notice improvements in the service.”

Along with the new timetables, rail service to Danbury has also increased 27 percent with the addition of six trains a day and three new shuttle trains between Danbury and South Norwalk. The increase is the largest since Metro-North’s inception in 1983. A new signal system at the Danbury branch is also expected to “provide better, safer and more reliable operation.”