New Britain-Hartford Rapid Transit

The New Britain-Hartford busway won’t be up and running for another 5 years but people got a look at what kind of vehicle they may be riding in 2012.

A 60-foot hybrid fuel bus, on display in Hartford, West Hartford, Newington and New Britain, was certainly a head-turner. The model is being considered for carrying passengers along active and inactive railroad rights-of-way that will be used for the busway in these four communities.

Michael Sanders, transit administrator for the state Department of Transportation, says buses offer the advantage of a “one seat ride.  It’s a more flexible system than rail because buses can get off the busway and circulate in communities.

Busway planners envision four types of services using the busway corridor. They are:

Shuttle Service The shuttle service would operate from end to end on the busway, stop at all busway stations and potentially circulate through the two downtowns.  Like a subway, it would operate on a regular and frequent schedule, so passengers would not need to use a bus schedule for the next bus arrival. 

Express Service Long distance coach style commuter express routes which now originate in Bristol, Plainville, Cheshire and Southington will enter the busway in downtown New Britain and operate as expresses into Hartford with limited or no stops. New routes may be added. By using the busway, commuters will avoid the congestion on I-84, reducing their commute into Hartford by 10 minutes.  Once in Hartford, the express bus would exit the busway and circulate through the city to provide convenient drop-off points for passengers.

Feeder Service This service would connect residential areas, points of interest, or other locations in the surrounding area with the nearest busway station.  This service would drop off passengers at the stations and passengers would then take the shuttle service to Hartford, New Britain or to other locations along the busway.

Neighborhood Collectors This service would circulate on local streets within a community. Buses would then enter the busway to travel to their destinations, whether it’s downtown Hartford, downtown New Britain or a location in between.  After exiting the busway, the collector buses would circulate again within the community.

The state expects to buy 30 new buses for the busway project. Not all will be like the articulated model bus, with an “accordion-middle” section that helps maneuver around corners.

The idea of building a 9.6-mile bus rapid transit route came out of a late 1990’s study of the I-84 corridor west of Hartford. The Connecticut Department of Transportation and two regional planning agencies - Capitol Region Council of Governments and Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency recommended the busway as an alternative way to travel within the Hartford region, especially as traffic increases on I-84.

The New Britain – Hartford Busway was selected as one of ten Federal Transit Administration Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) demonstration projects and will be the first in the state.