State leaders recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of CTfastrak, the state’s rapid transit system that utilizes dedicated roadways and high-occupancy vehicle lanes to deliver millions of riders across a number of Connecticut towns and cities.
Gov. Ned Lamont and Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto were among the officials, advocates, business owners and housing developers who joined the event supporting CTfastrak in New Britain.
The rapid transit system uses buses to provide direct service to and from communities spanning from Waterbury to Manchester, with Cheshire, Southington, Bristol, Plainville, New Britain, Newington, West Hartford and Hartford among the communities served. Parts of the service routes utilize HOV lanes to bypass traffic, while portions also utilize a 9.4-mile roadway between New Britain and Hartford exclusively for bus traffic.
Since its implementation, riders have been able to utilize the bus line to access anything from additional bus routes and rail services in Hartford, Waterbury and New Haven to regional employment, shopping, health care and entertainment destinations in these areas.
The key to CTfastrak is its speedy service routes which appeal to commuters needing to get across the Capitol region and central Connecticut quickly. Since it launched in 2015, more than 28.5 million people have taken rides on the rapid transit service, including about 14,000 weekday trips on average and serving nearly 3 million riders per year.
CTfastrak has the most popular bus route in Connecticut – Route 101 serves more than 1 million passengers annually.
Small business owners and housing developers joined the CTfastrak celebration for a reason. According to the Hartford Courant, the rapid transit system has spurred transit-oriented housing. Developers have built more than 600 units along the route since its initial opening, meaning people who live in sections of New Britain, West Hartford and Newington can hop on a bus and get where they need to go without needing to drive.
“CTfastrak’s impact extends beyond providing commuters with convenient public transit,” Lamont said. “It is revitalizing communities and showing the direct connection between our transportation system and the growth of vibrant communities where people want to live, work, and play.”
CTfastrak has garnered global attention, too. According to the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, the rapid transit system was named the best in the United States – and out of the institute’s top 50 bus systems in the world, CTfastrak is the only American system to make the list. It received high marks for its stations, routing and interconnections with other bus lines, train access and biking routes.
“CTfastrak has done more than connect communities — it’s reshaped the state’s economy and set the gold standard in the U.S. for bus rapid transit,” Eucalitto, the transportation commissioner, said. “This success proves that when government, local leaders, and the private sector collaborate, we can deliver results that help residents and businesses thrive.”
