Waterbury Branch

Template:Short description The Waterbury Branch is a 28.5-mile (46 km) long branch of the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line, running north from a junction in the Devon section of Milford to Waterbury, Connecticut. Originally built as the Naugatuck Railroad, it once continued north to Winsted. The part north of Waterbury is now leased from CTDOT by the Railroad Museum of New England, which operates excursion trains from Thomaston station through their operating subsidiary Naugatuck Railroad (reporting mark NAUG); this name was chosen in homage of the original railroad. The trackage ends in Torrington, but Metro-North service on the branch ends at Waterbury. There are conceptual plans to extend service from its current terminus in Waterbury to Hartford via Bristol and New Britain. Currently, riders that want to continue to New Britain and Hartford have to transfer to an express bus operated by CTtransit at Waterbury. All trains on this branch operate as shuttles between Waterbury and Bridgeport.

All platforms currently consist of low-level platforms with the exception of the terminal stations at Bridgeport and Waterbury. A new station consisting of a high-level platform at Derby-Shelton is currently awaiting construction, while new station plans at Ansonia, Seymour, Beacon Falls, and Naugatuck are currently awaiting designs and funding.

For most of its route, the branch runs parallel to the Naugatuck River, viewable on the right side northbound and the left side southbound.

History

Work on double-tracking the branch between Seymour and Waterbury was underway by 1906 and completed in 1907.

In September 2015, it was announced that out of governor Dannel Malloy's 30-year-$100 billion transportation plan, $350 million has been included to improve service along the branch. The upgrades were to include a new signal system with multiple passing sidings to increase service – as it was the last remaining dark territory of the Metro-North system – along with newer equipment and station rehabilitation. Signalization enabled multiple trains to safely operate on the branch at a time, while allowing for increased capacity and overall safer train operation. New passing sidings were constructed at Derby and Beacon Falls, while existing sidings at Devon and Waterbury were upgraded, allowing trains to pass each other in single-track territory and thereby increase service frequency.

Centralized Traffic Control was activated on November 7, 2021. Taking advantage of the newly constructed signal system, an increase in service frequency from 15 to 22 trains per day (12 southbound, 10 northbound) was implemented on July 10, 2022.

As of 2022, the Connecticut Department of Transportation was studying the feasibility of installing catenary wire on the Waterbury Branch.

Major damage from catastrophic flooding washed out the line in several locations on August 18, 2024. All service was suspended in favor of replacement bus service while repairs took place. Service was restored on October 28, 2024.

As of 2024, only Waterbury station is accessible. The state plans to add accessible high-level platforms at all stations from 2025 to 2027, which would require replacing trains with buses during construction.

Stations

The following connecting services are available to Amtrak, Metro-North Railroad, Shore Line East, CT Transit, and Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority.

Zone	Location	Station	Miles (km) from GCT	Date opened	Date closed	Connections / notes
19	Bridgeport	Template:Mnrr Template:MNR acc		1840		Template:Ric: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Ric: Template:Rcb Template:Ric: Template:Lnl (limited service) Bus transport GBT, Sacred Heart University Transit Shuttle, University of Bridgeport shuttle Template:Rint Intercity bus: Greyhound, Peter Pan Template:Rint Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry
20	Stratford	Template:Mnrr				Template:Ric: Template:Rcb Template:Ric: Template:Lnl (limited service) Bus transport GBT
51	Derby	Template:Mnrr		1849		Bus transport GBT, CTtransit New Haven
	Ansonia	Template:Mnrr		1849		Bus transport CTtransit New Haven
	Seymour	Template:Mnrr		1849		Bus transport CTtransit New Haven
	Beacon Falls	Template:Mnrr		1849
	Naugatuck	Template:Mnrr		1849		Bus transport CTtransit Waterbury
	Waterbury	Template:Mnrr Disabled access		1849		Template:Rint CTfastrak

Rolling stock

File:ConnDOT 6699 with Constitution Liners at Waterbury, June 2003.jpg

Waterbury Branch train with depowered SPV-2000 coaches at Waterbury in 2003

The Waterbury Branch uses Brookville BL20GH, GE Genesis P32AC-DM, and EMD GP40-3H locomotives and Shoreliner passenger coaches. Prior to the arrival of push-pull coaches, the branch used self-propelled Budd RDC and SPV-2000 railcars, the latter of which were later converted to coaches. A typical shuttle consists of three cars.

In August 2023, CTDOT approved a contract with Alstom for 60 single-level passenger cars. The cars will replace the existing Shoreliner coach fleet on the Waterbury Branch and the Danbury Branch, as well as Mafersa coaches on the Hartford Line. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2026.

See also

• Naugatuck Railroad
• Connecticut Commuter Rail Council

External links

• Metro-North Railroad Schedules
• Waterbury Line Station Projects