Train talk on Teams 5.15 TODAY
We'll be focusing on Connecticut in this informal conversation
Train Time meetup link for today
This is like a Zoom video conversation (not a webinar presentation), but on Microsoft Teams. You can choose to have your own video on, or just listen. We’ll talk about the Berkshire (Housatonic) Line and also hear from Matt Silber about the benefits of renewing passenger service on the Maybrook Line
Click to Join the meeting - Wednesday February 12, 5.15-6.15pm
Meeting ID: 274 487 276 781 Passcode: HM7Qs99w
Consider this
Fast track concept from Danbury to Grand Central awarded $1 million By Rob Ryser, Sep 5, 2019
Danbury’s fast track to NYC plan gets $2M grant to move ahead By Rob Ryser, July 22, 2022
Email from Barbara Barosa, Putnam County, January 29, 2025: “This study was completed in 2022. You can find the final report on our website [link here]. MTA did consider this link in their 20-year needs assessment and it did not rise to the level of being considered in their capital plan. For information on New Milford and Danbury’s work up the line, please reach out directly to them.”
A study that paid out $3 million, one assumes, only to be put on the shelf. Concerned about this approach to spending taxpayer money? Listen to our podcast for other examples: Taking aim at a 20th-century rail bureaucracy.
Watch this video from Notjustbikes
Notjustbikes is a popular and excellent YouTube channel with plenty about trains. Near the end of this video, the narrator says, “I just hate that millions of people in the US and Canada will never know what it's like to ride a genuinely good train. And that makes me sad, because trains can be so much better than this.” That is what we say, too, at Train Time.
For a little recent-ish regional history: “Connecticut may derail hopes for restoring Berkshires-to-Grand Central passenger rail service / In the Berkshires, however, a lot of work has been done to get towns organized for a rail line, like locating stations so there’s at least a good 10-mile run between stops for efficiency.” Written by Heather Bellow December 14, 2016 Berkshire Edge
Internship, anyone?
Would you like to volunteer with the Train Time media project? This includes a podcast series, newsletters, and hosting online meetings. Computer skills definitely required - and more to learn, of course - as well as research experience. If you are a skilled writer, podcaster, filmmaker, designer, or teacher, this could be an enjoyable outlet for your talents, an upbeat endeavor that connects with community and climate change, and a good way to feel that you’re making a difference during tough times. The work can be done remotely (using Teams and Substack and more). Send a cover note and CV, or at least some basic details about your skills and interests, to karen@barringtoninstitute.org.
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