View source for CT Fastrak

{{Short description|Bus rapid transit operations in Connecticut, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox Bus transit
| name            = CTfastrak
| logo            = CTfastrak logo.svg
| logo_size       = 
| image           = NovaBUS LFX.jpg
| image_size      = 300px
| image_caption   = A 62-foot CTfastrak bus at [[Downtown New Britain station]] in November 2015
| company_slogan  = 
| Operator        = [[Connecticut Department of Transportation]]
| founded         = 
| locale          = Central [[Connecticut]]
| service_type    = [[Bus rapid transit]]
| alliance        = 
| routes          = 8 local routes<br />4 express routes
| destinations    = 
| stops           = 
| hubs            = 
| stations        = 10
| fleet           = 
| ridership       = 14,277 (August 2023)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://portal.ct.gov/dot/publictrans/bureau-of-public-transportation/ctfastrak?language=en_US |title=CTfastrak Ridership |date=August 2023 |publisher=Connecticut Bureau of Public Transportation |access-date=March 28, 2025}}</ref> 
| fuel_type       = Hybrid diesel-electric (Battery Electric in 2027)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ctfastrak.com/files/CTfastrakGreeningtheCommunity_Summer2014_2page_FINAL.pdf |title=Greening the Community |date=2014 |publisher=CTfastrak |access-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911225649/http://ctfastrak.com/files/CTfastrakGreeningtheCommunity_Summer2014_2page_FINAL.pdf |archive-date=September 11, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| operator        = [[Connecticut Transit]]
| leader_type     = Program Director
| leader          = Michael Sanders
| map             = 
| map state       =
| website         = {{URL|cttransit.com/services/ctfastrak}}
}}

'''CTfastrak''' (constructed as the '''New Britain-Hartford Busway''') is a regional [[bus rapid transit]] system currently operating between [[downtown]] [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] and [[Downtown New Britain station]] in [[New Britain, Connecticut|New Britain]] in central [[Connecticut]]. Operated by [[Connecticut Transit]], it is the first bus rapid transit system in Connecticut and the second in [[New England]] after the [[MBTA Silver Line]]. CTfastrak opened on March 28, 2015 after fifteen years of planning and three years of construction.<ref name="march28">{{Cite press release |title=Despite Snow, Thousands of Riders, Many First-Timers, Experience CTfastrak on First Day of Service |date=March 28, 2015 |publisher=Connecticut Department of Transportation |url=http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?A=1373&Q=563148}}</ref>

CTfastrak services run on a {{convert|9.4|mi|adj=on}} dedicated busway which runs on an abandoned railroad right-of-way from Downtown New Britain to {{stn|Newington Junction}} and alongside the active [[New Haven–Springfield Line]] from Newington Junction to downtown Hartford. Eight local and four express routes operate along the busway and over on-street loops in downtown Hartford.<ref name="routes" />

CTfastrak is the highest rated BRT system in the United States, with a Silver rating according to the [[BRT Standard]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://itdp.org/library/standards-and-guides/the-bus-rapid-transit-standard/brt-scores-2024/ |title=BRT Scores |date=2024 |publisher=[[Institute for Transportation and Development Policy]]}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==
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[[File:CTfastrak bridge over East Street, December 2014.JPG|thumb|left|A lengthy bridge carries the busway over East Street (pictured) and Allen Street in New Britain]]
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The CTfastrak busway is built on current and former railroad rights-of-way owned by the state and [[Amtrak]], which allowed for the busway to be constructed with minimal taking of private land. From its north end in downtown Hartford to [[Newington Junction station]], the busway occupies the north side of Amtrak's [[New Haven–Springfield Line]] right of way. That section of the line was once 4 tracks (shared by two separate railroads) and is now two tracks, with the busway occupying the third and fourth track slots. From Newington Junction to its south end at [[Downtown New Britain station]], the busway follows the former [[New York and New England Railroad|Newington Secondary]] rail line.

Along much of its length, CTfastrak is constructed as a grade-separated [[limited-access highway]]. There are three at-grade crossings of local roads in New Britain, one in the Elmwood section of West Hartford, and one in Hartford (the latter two shared with the New Haven–Springfield Line). Buses can additionally enter and leave the busway via access roads at Downtown New Britain, East Street, Cedar Street, Newington Junction, and Sigourney Street stations and at the north end of the busway at Asylum Street in Hartford. A lengthy bridge was constructed over East Street ([[Connecticut Route 175|CT-175]]) and Allen Street in New Britain to eliminate former grade crossings.

From New Britain to Newington Junction, a fenced multi-use trail was constructed alongside the busway.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cttransit.com/services/ctfastrak/multi-use-trail |title=Multi-Use Trail |website=CTtransit |access-date=April 24, 2018}}</ref> Such a trail was not possible on the northern section, where all available room was needed for an access road for Amtrak maintenance vehicles.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20140630/PRINTEDITION/306269950/ |title=DOT officials bullish on CTfastrak's future |last=Simpson |first=Stan |date=June 30, 2014 |access-date=October 26, 2015 |publisher=Hartford Business Journal}}</ref>

The busway has ten stations of varying size. Downtown New Britain is a sprawling complex with numerous bus bays and large shelters to support transfers between CTfastrak services and local CT Transit services. Flatbush Avenue and Sigourney Street have large [[island platform]]s and off-busway loops. The remaining seven stations have basic [[side platform]]s and small shelters, with ramps to street level. All stations except {{stn|East Main Street}} have center passing lanes to allow express buses to pass stopped local buses.<ref name="plan">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ctfastrak.com/station-siteplans |title=Station Site Plans |publisher=Connecticut Department of Transportation |access-date=January 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118094512/http://www.ctfastrak.com/station-siteplans |archive-date=January 18, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Services==
{{CTfastrak}}
[[File:CTtransit route 101 bus northbound at Cedar Street CTfastrak station, December 2015.JPG|thumb|left|A 62ft CTfastrak bus on route 101 at Cedar Street]]
[[File:CTFastrak Bus.jpg|thumb|left|A CTfastrak 40ft bus on route 128 at {{stl|CT Transit|Flatbush Avenue}}]]
{{As of|December 2016}}, twelve CT Transit routes use the CTfastrak busway with a variety of stopping patterns.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cttransit.com/sites/default/files/maps/division/ctfastrak_system_DEC2016.pdf |title=CTfastrak System Map |date=December 2016 |publisher=CT Transit |access-date=April 24, 2018}}</ref>

Nine routes provide local stopping service on various sections of the busway:<ref name="routes" />
*101 Hartford/New Britain 
*102 Hartford/New Britain/Bristol
*121 MCC/Hartford/[[UConn Health]]
*125 Berlin Tpke
*128 Hartford/[[Westfarms]]–New Britain via Stanley Street
*140 [[Central Connecticut State University|CCSU]] Shuttle
*144 [[Wethersfield, Connecticut|Wethersfield]]/Westfarms
*153 Elmwood/Copaco
*161 [[Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center|St. Francis Hospital]]/[[Hartford Hospital]]

The 101 Hartford/New Britain route provides high-frequency all-stops base service between New Britain and downtown Hartford, with headways of 7.5 minutes at peak, 12 minutes off-peak, and 20 minutes during the evening.<ref name="routes">{{Cite web |url=https://www.cttransit.com/services/ctfastrak |title=CTfastrak Routes |publisher=CT Transit |access-date=April 24, 2018}}</ref>

The 102 makes the same stops as the 101 but extends past New Britain to [[Bristol, Connecticut]]; it operates at a lower frequency than the 101. The 121 uses the busway from Cedar Street to Sigourney Street, while the 128 uses the busway from Elmwood to Union Station. 

Two routes run express on the busway from Downtown New Britain to Sigourney Street, making no intermediate stops:<ref name="routes" />
*923 Bristol Express
*928 [[Southington, Connecticut|Southington]]–[[Cheshire, Connecticut|Cheshire]]–Waterbury Express

Four other routes – 144, 153, and 161, as well as the 140(F) – act as feeder services. They make stops at CTfastrak station platforms but do not run on the busway, with the exception of the 140 and 144, which use the busway between Cedar Street and East Street. Other times throughout the day it enters the busway at Newington Junction station as the 140F and continues to East Street.<ref name="routes" />
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==History==
[[File:Newington NY&NE station building, December 2014.JPG|thumb|right|The former New York & New England Railroad station at Newington Junction was moved and restored during the construction of a CTfastrak station at the site, seen here three months before service start]]
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In 2001, a dedicated busway transit project was judged to be the most cost-effective way of relieving congestion on [[Interstate 84 in Connecticut|Interstate 84]] between Hartford, [[West Hartford]], [[Newington, Connecticut|Newington]] and New Britain.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gobrt.org/HartfordNewBritainFEISExecutiveSummary.pdf |title=Executive Summary, New Britain–Hartford Busway |last1=U.S. Department Of Transportation |last2=Federal Transit Administration |date=December 2001 |last3=Connecticut Department of Transportation}}</ref> The {{convert|9.4|mi|adj=on}} line was projected to cost $570 million, of which $400 million was funded by federal grants.<ref name="work starts">{{Cite web |url=https://www.courant.com/2012/05/22/after-more-than-12-years-work-starts-in-earnest-on-busway/ |title=Busway: After More Than 12 Years, Work Starts In Earnest On Busway |website=Hartford Courant}}</ref>

The project officially broke ground on May 22, 2012 and opened to the public on March 28, 2015.<ref name="work starts" /><ref name="march28" />

[[Proof of payment]] is used for fare collection along the route. On June 23, 2015, CTDOT began issuing $75 tickets for riders found to have not paid their fare.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Fare Enforcement Begins on CTfastrak Bus Rapid Transit System: Riders Can Be Fined $75 Without Valid Proof Of Fare Payment |date=June 23, 2015 |publisher=Connecticut Department of Transportation |url=http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?A=1373&Q=567458 |access-date=August 3, 2015}}</ref>

Preliminary work estimated a $10 million annual cost of running the various CTfastrak routes and new feeder services. In September 2015, CTtransit released that the yearly cost would be substantially higher at $17.5 million.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-busway-cost-0928-20150927-story.html |title=Yearly Taxpayer Cost To Operate CTfastrak Jumps 75 Percent From Original Estimate |last1=Stacom |first1=Don |date=September 28, 2015 |work=Hartford Courant |access-date=October 25, 2015 |last2=Kauffman |first2=Matthew}}</ref>

In October 2019, the state applied for a federal grant to test [[vehicular automation#buses|autonomous buses]] on the CTfastrak busway beginning in 2020.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/ct-hopes-to-test-self-driving-buses-on-ctfastrak-in-2020 |title=CT hopes to test self-driving buses on CTfastrak in 2020 |newspaper=Hartford Business News |date=November 25, 2019 |first=Sean |last=Teehan}}</ref>

===Hartford Line===
The [[Hartford Line]] [[commuter rail]] service between [[New Haven, Connecticut]] and [[Springfield, Massachusetts]] via Hartford commenced on June 16, 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-hartford-line-opens-20180615-story.html |title=Thousands Take A Free Ride On Hartford Line's Inaugural Run |last1=Porter |first1=Mikaela |last2=Owens |first2=David |website=Hartford Courant |date=June 17, 2018 |access-date=June 17, 2018}}</ref> It initially connects to CTfastrak at Union Station. Hartford Line stations adjacent to the CTfastrak stops at West Hartford (Flatbush Avenue) and Newington Junction are planned to open later.

The 2012 environmental assessment for the Hartford Line included preliminary plans for four infill stations including West Hartford and Newington Junction; although they were not yet funded, this would allow future planning and construction to be expedited.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nhhsrail.com/pdfs/ea/volii_1_03.pdf |title=Section 1.3: Station and Layover Site Concept Plans |last=CDM Smith |website=NEW HAVEN-HARTFORD-SPRINGFIELD LINE HIGH SPEED INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT/ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT EVALUATION: Volume II Concept Design Drawings and Environmental Resource Graphics |publisher=Connecticut Department of Transportation |pages=36,37 |access-date=October 26, 2015}}</ref> On January 12, 2015, the state announced that $5.75 million in funding would be made available for environmental mitigation and design at ten Hartford Line and [[New Haven Line]] stations, including design funding for Hartford Line platforms at West Hartford and Newington Junction.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=GOV. MALLOY, BOND COMMISSION APPROVE DESIGN OF RAIL STATIONS ON HARTFORD AND NEW HAVEN LINES |date=January 12, 2015 |publisher=State of Connecticut |url=http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?A=1373&Q=559290 |access-date=October 26, 2015}}</ref>

===CTfastrak East===
Planning began in early 2016 for extending CTfastrak service to communities east of Hartford. The expansion would incorporate many of the BRT features of the existing system, including branded buses, large shelters, real-time information, and frequent all-day service. However, it would run on existing [[high occupancy vehicle|HOV]] lanes on [[Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts)|I-84]] and [[Interstate 384|I-384]] rather than a dedicated busway.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cttransit.com/sites/default/files/PDF_files/CTfastrak_East_of_River_Expansion_Initial_Study_Results_04062016.pdf |title=CTfastrak East of the River Expansion: Initial Study Results |date=April 6, 2016 |publisher=CTfastrak |access-date=April 24, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-manchester-ctfastrak-east-0929-20160928-story.html |title=DOT: Hartford To UConn Bus Route Could Cost $1.4 Million A Year |last=Stacom |first=Don |website=Hartford Courant |access-date=February 9, 2017}}</ref>{{-}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commonscat|CTfastrak}}
{{Attached KML}}
*{{Official website|https://www.cttransit.com/services/ctfastrak}}

{{USBRT}}
{{Connecticut transit}}

[[Category:CTfastrak| ]]
[[Category:Transport infrastructure completed in 2015]]
[[Category:2015 establishments in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Bus rapid transit in Connecticut]]