Bond approved for high-speed rail

The Connecticut State Bond Commission approved $260 million in funding Tuesday morning to start construction of a high-speed rail service linking New Haven, Hartford and Springfield, Mass.

In an application jointly supported by Massachusetts, Connecticut formally submitted its documents earlier this month for $220 million in federal funding to build the rail line. Vermont also supported the application in hopes the line will eventually be extended there and to Montreal.

Officials say a high-speed commuter rail service would take 4,000 cars off the roads daily in central Connecticut. The project involves adding a second track and electrifying the corridor, and building a rail link to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks.