Part of the ongoing $639 million commuter rail line upgrade being branded as the CTrail Hartford Line, a new transit center in Meriden, Conn. is nearly complete, says John Bernick, rail administrator for Connecticut Dept. of Transportation.

In addition to Amtrak service, the approximately $22.8-million combined bus and train station will include CTrail service, which will link New Haven, Hartford and Springfield, Mass. when construction on the new line is completed. 

The Meriden station—which includes a 500-ft long boarding platform on both sides of the rail lines—has continued to accommodate Amtrak, regional and freight trains since construction began in the fall of 2014.

Bruce Olmstead, a CTDOT project manager, said working on an active railroad on a tight footprint is challenging and “requires 100 percent coordination.” But he said, “We have been good partners with Amtrak to make sure things keep going in a station open for business.”

The design, bid, build project’s lead contractor is New York-based Judlau Contracting while Baker International’s Rocky Hill, Conn. office is serving as the designer. 

The CTrail project also includes updating the rail corridor to include double tracking and facilitate more frequent commuter trains between New Haven, Hartford and Springfield. The corridor crosses through many cities and towns, including Wallingford, Berlin and North Haven, as well as Meriden.