CT State Troopers monitor CTfastrak and CTrail under new security program

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT DOT) has dedicated four state troopers to monitor CT fastrak and the CT rail Hartford Line as part of a pilot security program, according to DOT’s annual Customer Experience Action Plan progress report and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) obtained by Inside Investigator through a freedom of information request.

Under the MOU between DOT and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), two state troopers will be assigned to CT fastrak and two to the Hartford Line, as part of its security program “to address emerging transit security needs.” The four officers will be exclusively employed full time as part of the security program and paid for by DOT. The troopers will be trained for both CT fastrak and CT rail .

According to the MOU, the troopers will coordinate with the security director and be given assignments based on areas with the greatest need; patrol both CT fastrak and CT rail , including riding the transit systems “when possible;” and “provide an appearance of security omnipresence” through staggered shifts.

The troopers will also coordinate and work in conjunction with municipal law enforcement and the Amtrak Police Department. The two-year MOU was signed in October of 2023 and then updated in May of 2024 to include four troopers instead of three.

“The mission of the CT rail and CT fastrak Security Program is to provide a secure, safe, and clean public transportation network that will enhance and encourage the use of public transit,” the annual report said, in announcing the partnership with DESPP. The annual report was largely based on a customer experience survey conducted by DOT that informed their first annual customer experience report in June of 2023.

CT DOT spokesperson Samaia Hernandez says the pilot security program was not in response to the survey, nor in response to any specific security issues, but is rather a “nationwide best practice and a key part of safe transit systems,” and that using state troopers was a “natural step,” as they have jurisdiction over state property.

According to Hernandez, the troopers will “patrol the CT fastrak guideway, stations and buses, and CT rail stations, trains, and Hartford line parking areas.”

There is also a dedicated Amtrak officer patrolling CT rail , and the officers will work with the Transit Homeless Outreach Program team (THOP), which is paid for by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) — another partner in CT DOT’s security program — and “connect people to services such as access to shelter, substance use treatment, mental health care, employment, and permanent housing placement,” Hernandez said.

The security program will be overseen by Mark Packer with TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts (TASI), which is the contracted operator of the Hartford Line, and a subsidiary of Herzog, a major railroad contractor in North America. Connecticut paid TASI $13.4 million in 2024, according to the state’s transparency website.

“TASI supports the program with a security director, security manager, and an outreach/customer service agent,” Hernandez wrote in an email. “Assigning the troopers to the program allows them to develop familiarity with the systems and the people, building relationships with customers and providing them with a sense of safety and security.”

Usage of CT fastrak and Connecticut’s public rail system plummeted during the pandemic as many people stayed home from work. Bus fares were suspended during the pandemic, only being reintroduced in April of 2023. According to the latest numbers available from DOT ridership on CT fastrak was still below pre-pandemic levels as of August 2023 – down roughly 75,000 passenger trips compared to August of 2019.

CT fastrak was recently named the best bus system in the country by the nonprofit Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, and Gov. Ned Lamont announced the line will now be populated with electric buses thanks in part to a $38.9 million federal grant to purchase the buses and install chargers.

Meanwhile, ridership on the Hartford line that runs from New Haven to Springfield, MA, appears to be returning following the pandemic lows, exceeding some pre-pandemic ridership figures.

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