The Metro-North Railroad is hiking fares 5% on the New Haven line for trips to and from Connecticut — the second big increase in less than a year.
The 5% fare increase takes hold on July 1 just as construction will close several stops in the Constitution State for the next 10 months.
The latest hike comes less than a year after the Connecticut Department of Transportation jacked up rates 5% last September.
Connecticut transportation officials said the increases are necessary to close an approximately $11 million funding gap for rail operations and to avoid service cuts.
“As equipment, labor, and maintenance costs to operate these services continue to rise, fare adjustments were needed to sustain existing service levels and avoid reductions,” a CTDOT spokesperson said.
But mere weeks after riders are forced to pay even more for a train many of them will be switched over to buses.
Metro‑North will suspend all train service on the Waterbury Branch starting July 20 for at least 10 months while four stations — Derby-Shelton, Ansonia, Beacon Falls and Seymour — are rebuilt and made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Riders at all Waterbury line stations will be diverted to buses during that time.
“Customers will continue to pay rail fares, but they can still expect the same level of service and reliability while being bused to their destination,” a spokesperson for CTDOT said.
Prior Waterbury line construction had riders board buses at their usual rail stations and travel by bus to Bridgeport, where they transfer to regular New Haven Line trains to reach their final destination.
The Waterbury Branch has seen ridership surge in recent years, with some stations now handling up to twice their pre‑pandemic passenger levels.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns and operates the Metro-North, said in board documents that the construction will take “approximately ten months,” though the agency has a track record of missing similar deadlines.
A 2019 audit by the state comptroller found that all six MTA construction projects it reviewed were completed late, including ADA platform work.
Even the transit giant’s highest‑profile projects suffer delays.
The $3.1 billion Penn Station Access plan — which will add four new ADA‑accessible Metro‑North stations in the Bronx — has slipped repeatedly, with its opening now pushed to at least 2028 after earlier targets around 2019. The MTA has blamed that delay on Amtrak.
MTA construction timelines have also proven vulnerable to shifting politics. The MTA, after Gov, Kathy Hochul paused congestion pricing in 2024, issued stop‑work orders that affected 23 planned accessibility projects.
The New Haven line is the only one of three Metro-North lines that runs into Connecticut, where the state owns railroad tracks and other infrastructure.
The Connecticut DOT proposed the side fare hikes, which were approved by the MTA Board.
New Yorkers riding Metro‑North trains were also slapped by about 4.5% fare hike in January as part of the MTA’s broader systemwide fare hikes.
Metro‑North fares are determined by where a trip begins and ends, with riders starting their trips in Connecticut pay under Connecticut’s fare schedule, while trips entirely within New York follow the MTA’s rates.