Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy thanked by Springfield officials for bringing CTrail to Union Station

MASSLIVE (December 27, 2018) — The $103 million renovation of Springfield’s Union Station, which reopened 18 months ago, might not be as big a deal for the city without the additional CTrail trains that have been coming in.

And its for those trains — CTRail’s Hartford Line Service between Springfield, Hartford and New Haven with connections to New York City via Metro-North — that the city thanked outgoing Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy on Thursday.

“It was his courage,” said U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, who rode the Hartford Line north Thursday with Malloy, a Democrat who leaves office next week after eight years as governor, and U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-Hartford.

They were met by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and his staff.

“There were some in my state who advocated for that,” he said. “But it didn’t make very much sense. By extending rail this far, we knew we could make more connections, connections with Boston and Worcester for instance, in the future.”

There are now 24 daily weekday trips between Hartford and Springfield, including a new one added in November. Weekend service also was enhanced.

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