North Canaan officials have long been strong supporters of the Housatonic Line revival. Going back some years, former Rep Roberta Willis (D) filed a bill regarding the line. Later, Brian Ohler (R) expressed support. The Train Campaign met with Maria Horn (D), the current state rep, and held joint meetings with rail advocates in the town, who themselves had created a first online petition that garnered thousands of signatures.

Letter to the Editor Jan 29, 2014

I am thrilled that Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty spoke during an interview on WNPR’s “Where We Live” (Jan. 7) about restoring passenger train service to northwest Connecticut.

In three years, she said, we could have passenger trains running from Danbury to the Massachusetts border for the first time since 1971.

Our congresswoman is trying to green our transportation system and encourage Hartford and Washington to give a little boost to the forgotten corner of Connecticut. She needs our support.

There are so many reasons to return passenger train service to our area. Passenger rail would reduce pollution in our air by decreasing the number of cars on the road, expand our transportation network without any road construction, and bring new customers into our shops by boosting tourism in Litchfield and Fairfield Counties.

For those of us in the Housatonic River Valley who take the train to New York City, the new train stops in Danbury, New Milford, Kent, Cornwall Bridge and Canaan would mean shorter drives to the train station. People without cars could use the train to get to work in a different town.

Please join more than 2,200 people and 100 businesses by signing a petition in favor of passenger train service. Our elected officials need to know that we want our train back.

Stephen Sherman, Falls Village

And here’s how that petition started:

Tell Gov Malloy To Reinstate Passenger Railway Service To Northwest Connecticut

The northwest corner is in dire need of passenger railway service. The bones of this project already exist and are shovel-ready. Passenger service would create a direct route to New York City and give people access to the Litchfield Hills and the Berkshires to enjoy the local attractions. This would also boost our local economy, create jobs, and promote tourism.

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Connecticut is key

Canaan is a key connecting point, and signs saying “RESTORE OUR RAILWAY!” were early inspiration for the Train Campaign. In 2015, as the Berkshire Edge put it, “100 brave Arctic chill to call for return of commuter rail service.”

Then came further delays—”Connecticut may derail hopes for restoring Berkshires-to-Grand Central passenger rail service”—and the pandemic. When we were able to meet again in person, in 2021, the Train Campaign hosted a meet-and-greet during Railroad Days in Canaan, CT. Speakers included MA Rep Smitty Pignatelli, Canaan Selectman Christian Allyn, and bestselling author Simon Winchester. You can watch and listen to Christian Allyn’s speech at the link above. A Canaan native, he explains his fears and hopes for the town, an eloquent plea for the restoration of train service from New York to Canaan and on to the Berkshires. And here’s Simon Winchester from the same event.

Credits

Our aerial footage comes from Paul Chesloff of Berkshire Skyview, and music from Two-bit Cowboys. Matt Silber wrote the new petition, which includes the Maybrook Line.

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