CARMEL – Putnam County will study the feasibility of restoring passenger train service along 13.5 miles of a rail line from the Town of Southeast train station to Danbury, Connecticut.
County Executive MaryEllen Odell said reconnecting the old Beacon Line could relieve traffic congestion in the I-84/684 corridor, reduce air pollution and shorten the ride to New York City for many residents.
Putnam County and Metro-North Railroad requested $1 million in matched funding for the study from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council.
The county will assist the railroad with the study, which will look at economic, environmental and operational impacts of running trains along the Southeast-Danbury corridor.
The line, which runs from Beacon to Danbury, is mostly inactive. Metro-North uses the line’s 41 miles in New York to move equipment and for maintenance operations. The Housatonic Railroad owns the Connecticut portion of the line.
The study is expected to take up to two years to complete.
