Waterbury Branch

The Waterbury Branch is a branch of the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line, running north from a junction in the Devon section of Milford to Waterbury. Originally built as the Naugatuck Railroad, it once continued north to Winsted. The part north of Waterbury is now leased from CDOT by the Railroad Museum of New England, which operates excursion trains from Thomaston station through their operating subsidiary Naugatuck Railroad (reporting mark NAUG); this name was chosen in homage of the original railroad. The trackage ends in Torrington, but Metro-North service on the branch ends at Waterbury. There are conceptual plans to extend service from its current terminus in Waterbury to Hartford via Bristol and New Britain. Currently, riders that want to continue to New Britain and Hartford have to transfer to an express bus operated by CTtransit at Waterbury. Except for one weekday morning peak train that operates from Waterbury to Stamford, all trains on this branch operate as shuttles between Waterbury and Bridgeport.

Waterbury Branch
Metro-North FP10 No. 413 in Bridgeport pulling Train 1926 in 2005.
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Naugatuck Railroad (1849–1887) NYNH&H (1887–1969) Penn Central (1969–1971) ConnDOT (1971–present)
Locale	Naugatuck River Valley of Connecticut, USA
Termini	Bridgeport Waterbury
Stations	6
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	Metro-North Railroad
Operator(s)	Penn Central (1969–1976) Conrail (1976–1983) Metro-North Railroad (1983–present)
Rolling stock	GE Genesis P32AC-DM Brookville BL20GH Shoreliner coaches
History
Opened	1849
Technical
Line length	28.5 mi (45.87 km)
Number of tracks	1
Character	Single track, diesel motive power
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	None
Route map Torrington Secondary to Winsted 87.5 mi 140.8 km Waterbury 82.5 mi 132.8 km Naugatuck 78.5 mi 126.3 km Beacon Falls Naugatuck River 75.0 mi 120.7 km Seymour 71.1 mi 114.4 km Ansonia Naugatuck River 69.5 mi 111.8 km Derby–Shelton Housatonic Railroad Naugatuck River Zone 51 Zone 20 New Haven to New Haven Devon Transfer (closed) Housatonic River Railroad Bridge 59.0 mi 95 km Stratford Zone 20 Zone 19 55.4 mi 89.2 km Bridgeport New Haven intermediate stops Zone 19 Zone 16 33.0 mi 53.1 km Stamford New Haven to Grand Central Distances shown from Grand Central Terminal

For most of its route, the branch runs parallel to the Housatonic River, viewable on the left side northbound and the right side southbound.

History

In 1906, work on double-tracking the branch between Seymour and Waterbury was underway.[1]

In September 2015, it was announced that out of Governor Malloy's 30 year-$100 Billion transportation plan, $350 Million has been included to improve service along the branch.[2] The upgrades include a new signal system with multiple passing sidings to increase service, newer equipment, and station rehabilitation.[3] Currently, only one train is allowed on the branch at a time. The signalization of the line will allow for multiple trains to safely be on the branch at a time, while allowing for increased capacity and safer train operation. Four passing sidings at Devon, Derby, Beacon Falls, and Waterbury will be built, and they are expected to be completed in 2018. Work began on a siding just north of the Derby–Shelton station and is expected to be completed in late 2015.[3] Some of the 16 grade crossings on the line will be permanently closed, while others will have gates and flashers installed to prevent accidents. The entire project is schedule to be completed in November 2020 and will cost $73 million.

Stations

The following connecting services are available to Amtrak,[4] Metro-North Railroad,[5] Shore Line East,[6] CTtransit,[7] and Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority.[8]

Zone	Location	Station	Miles (km) from GCT	Date opened	Date closed	Connections / notes
16	Stamford	Stamford	33.0 (53.1)	1849		Metro-North Railroad: New Haven Line Amtrak: Acela, Northeast Regional, Vermonter Metro-North Railroad: New Canaan Branch CTrail: Shore Line East (limited service) CTtransit Stamford: 311, 312, 313, 321, 322, 323, 331, 332, 333, 334, 341, 342, 343, 344, I-BUS Express, Stamford Commuter Shuttle, Bulls Head, North, Route 1 East[7] Greyhound Lines, Peter Pan Bus Lines, UConn Stamford Shuttle Limited service station
19	Bridgeport	Bridgeport	55.4 (89.2)	1840[9]		Metro-North Railroad: New Haven Line Amtrak: Northeast Regional, Vermonter CTrail: Shore Line East (limited service) Greater Bridgeport Transit: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, 17, 19X, 22X, 23, Coastal Link[8] Greyhound Lines, Peter Pan Bus Lines Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry Sacred Heart University Transit Shuttle, University of Bridgeport Shuttle
20	Stratford	Stratford	59.0 (95.0)			Metro-North Railroad: New Haven Line CTrail: Shore Line East (limited service) Greater Bridgeport Transit: 1, 10, 16, 23, Coastal Link[8]
51	Derby	Derby–Shelton	69.5 (111.8)	1849		Greater Bridgeport Transit: 15, 23 CTtransit New Haven: 255
	Ansonia	Ansonia	71.1 (114.4)	1849		CTtransit New Haven: 255
	Seymour	Seymour	75.0 (120.7)	1849		CTtransit New Haven: 255
	Beacon Falls	Beacon Falls	78.5 (126.3)	1849
	Naugatuck	Naugatuck	78.5 (126.3)	1849		CTtransit Waterbury: N1, N2, T74
	Waterbury	Waterbury	87.5 (140.8)	1849		CTfastrak: 925, 928

Rolling stock

Waterbury Branch train with depowered SPV-2000 coaches at Waterbury in 2003

The Waterbury Branch uses 2008 Brookville BL20GH and GE Genesis P32AC-DM locomotives and Shoreliner passenger coaches. It has also used Mafersa coaches originally purchased for service on Shore Line East. Prior to the arrival of push-pull coaches, the branch used self-propelled Budd RDC and SPV-2000 railcars, the later of which were later converted to coaches. A typical shuttle consists of three cars.

See also

• Naugatuck Railroad
• Connecticut Commuter Rail Council

References

1. Thirty-Fifth Year General Statement On The Affairs Of The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company For The Year Ending June 30, 1906. New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad Company. 1906. p. 5.
2. "Waterbury Branch Commuters Using Metro-North to Hear Details On Connecticut". Fox Business. September 2, 2015.
3. "Metro-North Waterbury branch rail line improvements underway". Shelton Herald. May 10, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
4. https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/timetables/Amtrak-System-Timetable-060118.pdf
5. http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/planning/schedules/pdf/NH_MF_Sept_30_2018.pdf
6. https://shorelineeast.com/images/docs/SLE-Timetable.pdf#view=FitH
7. "CT Transit Stamford System Map" (PDF). CT transit. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
8. "System Map - Mapa de sistema". GBT. November 5, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
9. "Bridgeport, CT (BRP)". Great American Stations. Retrieved March 1, 2013.