By Jim Cameron

The wind is howling, the snows blowing. As we endure another late-winter blizzard, I-95 is its usual mess. The airports are as good as closed, but I’m on my way to Boston with nary a worry. Im riding the fastest train on the continent—AmtrakҒs Acela.

I can use my laptop and stay productive as we shoosh along at 125 mph. Or I can nap in the cellphone-free “quiet car”—something Ive been lobbying Metro-North to adopt for years. IҒll arrive in Boston rested, probably too-well fed, and most likely on-time. Is there any better way to travel?

We along Connecticuts ғGold Coast are truly blessed, especially thanks to our ancestorsԒ foresight in building what is still a great railroad infrastructure. As challenged as Metro-North may be, Amtrak has got it right. But our inter-state travels are again being threatened by Washingtons threats to end Amtrak subsidies.

The Amtrak board of directors, dominated by Bush appointees, wants to force the railroad into bankruptcy, they say, ғfor its own good.” Their hope is that they can force Amtrak President David Gunn to finally spin-off the few money-making services in the heavily traveled Northeast and California to private ventures, and then shut down the money-losing long distance trains in the West.

By Jim Cameron

The cost of riding Metro-North has gone up again. And while these higher costs, effective today, are described as fare policy changesӔ rather than fare hikes, the effect is the same—higher costs for riders.

But didnt we just have a fare increase a few months ago? YouҒre right. Fares went up 5.5 percent on Jan. 1, following a 15 percent hike in July 2003. And there are probably more fare hikes to come before our new cars arrive in 2008 or so.

Whats most interesting about these latest hikes is the way they were approved. But first, the details on who is affected.

If you have friends or co-workers living in New York City who ғreverse commute out to Connecticut each weekday morning, theyԒll now be facing peakӔ fares for one-way or 10-trip tickets. Those fare hikes are as much as 57 percent.

By Jim Cameron

Metro-Norths mangled and much-maligned service in Connecticut is made all the more challenging by a technological quirk of fate. Ours is the only commuter railroad in the United States that operates on three modes of power—AC, DC and diesel.

On a typical run from, say, New Haven to Grand Central, the first part of the journey is done ғunder the wire, the trains being powered by 13,000-volt AC overhead wires, or catenaries.

Around Pelham, in Westchester County, the conversion is made to 660-volt DC third rail power for the rest of the trip into New York. Even diesel trains must convert to third-rail as their smoky exhaust is banned in the Park Avenue tunnels.

And thereԒs the rub: Connecticut trains need both AC and DC, overhead and third-rail, power pick-ups and processors. That means a lot more electronics, and added cost, for each car. While the DC-only new M7 cars running in Westchester cost about $2 million each, the proposed dual-mode M8 car designed for Connecticut could cost $3.5 million each.

By Jim Cameron

There was so much good news for commuters, both rail and road, in Gov. M. Jodi Rells budget address: new rail cars, promises of more station parking and even improvements to our highways. Gov. Rell really delivered, and for that she deserves a lot of credit.

But these improvements come at a price: a proposed six cents per gallon increase in the gas tax, and a planned $1 per ride surcharge for Metro-North. To her credit, the governor promised that ғ(commuters) should not be asked to pay for improvements until they actually see them, sit in them or park in them.

Her plan is to implement this ԓsurcharge in 2008, when she said the first 50 of 340 or more new rail cars will be delivered. I donԒt think that commuters would mind paying a buck more a ride if they could actually enjoy new cars. But the question is, can the badly needed new cars really be delivered that fast?

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Metro-North officials say they think so, if the Connecticut Legislature moves quickly. But ordering new cars isnŒt like going to a store to buy dog food. These are hardly an off-the-shelf item. Heres whatҒs involved, and heres why it will be a real challenge to do it in just three years.