CTrail's Scenic Shore Line East
A scenic train route from New Haven to New London
On November 4th, 2024, I rode CTrail’s Shore Line East from New Haven Union Station to New London Union Station.
Shore Line East is owned by the Connecticut Department Of Transportation, and consists of nine stations: New Haven Union Station, New Haven State Street Station, Branford, Guilford, Madison, Clinton, Westbrook, Old Saybrook, and New London.
Tickets can be purchased in person or on the CTrail eTix app. I must note the app is a little clunky compared to MTA’s “TrainTime” app, or the Amtrak app. Even though you can buy and store tickets digitally, the functionality of finding schedules operates like a web browser rather than an application. It’s more efficient to Google the Shore Line East schedule and screenshot it for future use.
I arrived early, which gave me time to explore New Haven Union Station.
The original New Haven Union Station was built in 1848 by Henry Austin. A second version was built in 1875 that stood for 33 years before it was destroyed in a fire in 1918. In 1920 after two years of construction, the station that stands today was opened. In 1975 New Haven Union Station was added to the National Registry Of Historic Places.
The interior of New Haven Union Station is beautiful. Limestone walls paired with intricate golden octagons adorning the ceiling are striking, both well lit by spherical chandeliers around the terminal. The aged wooden seating provides a classic feel that’s rivaled by the large screen hanging on the wall displaying departure times. Ticket counters sit directly across the terminal from a Subway, Dunkin Donuts, and Union News of New Haven. The terminal gives you the best of both worlds in classic features and updated amenities.
When you’re ready to board your train, escalators bring you down into long stainless steel tunnels that lead you to platforms. My train left on platform 10, which was easy enough to find in the long straight tunnel.
Shore Line East uses Kawasaki M8 EMUs, the same railcar used on Metro-North’s New Haven Line. It’s unfair to compare cleanliness between New Haven Line cars and Shore Line East cars due to the vast difference in use and ridership, but Shore Line East cars are spotless.
On the 50 mile journey from New Haven to New London, riders are spoiled with beautiful views of Connecticut coastline. Beautiful marshes can be seen near Madison, while strips of beaches in Niantic and East Lyme make you feel as if you can reach out and touch the sand. There’s also plenty of opportunities to see fall foliage on both sides of the train in October.
Pulling into New London Station is a sight to see; multiple ferries sit waiting to take passengers to places like Block Island and Fishers Island. New London Union Station was built by Henry Hobson Richardson in 1888. The interior, although small and outdated, has a lot of character and is well kept.
The Connecticut Department Of Transportation outlined the next four years in their 2024-2028 Capital Plan. The plan allocates $1.5 billion of the $14.09 billion in planned funding to bus and rail, going towards projects like improving New Haven Union Station, and adding more amenities for commuters. Other projects include replacing platforms across the Waterbury Line, and building a new Enfield Station on the Hartford Line.
Shore Line East is a route that is both practical and enjoyable for commuters, and deserving of future funding.
For more on Shore Line East, watch my youtube video below.