Danbury Branch Improvement Program AA/DEIS. Task 7. Existing Conditions: Rail Infrastructure Draft Final Report. State Project 302-008.

摘要

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) has initiated a feasibility study to examine the needs of and identify potential improvements to the New Haven Line's commuter rail branch line service between Norwalk and Danbury. A Congressional earmark has provided the funding for the study, which has been divided into two phases. Phase I of the study has been completed and included the identification, review, and evaluation of a range of preliminary improvement alternatives to the branch, including electrification, addition of passing sidings, extension of service to New Milford, and track realignment modifications. The Danbury Branch Electrification Study area corridor consists of 24.2 miles of existing rail line between Norwalk and Danbury which is owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, and about 14 miles of existing rail line between Danbury and New Milford, which is owned by the Danbury Terminal Railroad. The following three (3) reports represent the Phase II efforts in documenting existing conditions within the study corridor: Existing Conditions - Environmental; Existing Conditions - Transportation Operations; Existing Conditions - Rail Infrastructure. This report documents the existing conditions of the Rail Infrastructure. It summarizes existing conditions between Norwalk and New Milford as determined from a review of existing documents and from Phase II research and field investigations. Expansion of the study limits north of New Milford to Pittsfield, Massachusetts was recently added to the study scope. Conditions of the rail infrastructure North of New Milford will be added as an addendum.