MTR 272, Metro-North Wins Rider Praise, Adds Service

Issue 272

June 5, 2000

Metro-North Wins Rider Praise, Adds Service

According to an annual Metro-North customer satisfaction survey, MNRR riders on the New Haven Line give high marks to service and performance in the first quarter of 2000. Markedly, riders gave the railroad higher marks on seven out of eight categories over the October to December period last year. In particular, on-time performance ratings increased from 6.9 in the October to December period to 7.3 on a 1 to 10 scale. The only relapse occurred in the category of 'overall conditions of trains,' not surprising with 80% of the New Haven line fleet 30 or more years old (MTR #270)

Riders in south-western Connecticut are likely to be even more pleased with the recently announced increased off-peak service for the Rowayton, East Norwalk, Westport and Southport stations. With the increases, effective July 9th, trains will leave Rowayton and East Norwalk every two hours during the mid-day and weekend, rather than the current every four hours, a Metro-North spokesperson told the Stamford Advocate. In the other direction, two additional trains will stop in East Norwalk daily and Rowayton on weekdays, with three extra stopping on weekends. Aggressive increased service throughout the I-95 corridor is one way for Conn-DOT and Metro-North to make up lost ground on its mandate to remove 8600 cars from the highways of that region by 2002.