Dear Senator Prague:

As a resident of the Quiet Corner of Windham County, and someone who
shares an appreciation of a greener environment, I am writing to you
advocating the extension of Shore Line East service to its logical
terminus at New London, CT.

As you may know, the SLE operation is contracted out to be operated
by Amtrak, who indirectly competes with this very limited, but
affordable "commuter" service.

You might also know, that with the exception of two SLE trains....all
of their operations terminate at Old Saybrook. This operations
nightmare is to allow Amtrak to charge fares that are usually triple
the amount charged by SLE.

The New London terminus is the logical end point for Shore Line
travelers. It offers connections to Greyhound, the multiple ferry
services to Orient Point, LI, Shelter and Block Island's, and would
provide a more direct service to the I-395 corridor.

The ONLY way this service will actually motivate people to get out of
their cars is to offer fast, frequent, hourly service along this
corridor with New London being both the starting point and end point
of this service.

Ideally, Metro North trains operating into New Haven from New York's
GCT, could EASILY take up this role from New Haven to New London,
offering direct service along the Shore Line, instead of the quirky
change of trains (with NO MetroNorth ticketing Kiosk's on the
platform in New Haven).

The electrification of the line from New Haven to Boston South
Station would make the current Metro North cars ideal for this
Shoreline operation.....they're fast, efficient, electric, and are in
the processing of being upgraded to a new car that Metro North expects
to begin taking delivery of next year, allowing further expansion of
this service.

Ultimately, the State of Connecticut, Metro North, and Boston's MBTA
should be exploring operating commuter rail service along the
Providence and Worcester line which directly connects with
Amtrak/Shore Line East, after crossing the Thames River Bridge east of
New London.

This service could make stops at Norwich/Plainfield/Putnam and
Worcester, connecting directly to the MBTA at Worcester, offering an
additional corridor from the current Amtrak New Haven/Springfield
shuttles.

I look forward to hearing from you soon on how your office plans to
address these desperately needed changes to the Eastern part of
Connecticut, moving us into the 21st Century with environmentally
sound, energy efficient transportation alternatives.

Respectfully yours,

Frank Fehr