Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced that construction has started on a $35 million redevelopment of the Waterbury Train Station on Wednesday.
It's part of a state plan to upgrade all six stations on Metro-North’s Waterbury Branch Line.
The stations will help improve commuter train service and attract more transit-oriented housing developments to the Naugatuck Valley towns served by the branch line, Lamont said.
“Waterbury is happening. The population is growing. People want to be here,” he said.
“And transportation is a big piece of what is happening because transit-oriented development makes sense. It is making sense right here. And making sense up and down the Naugatuck Valley,” Lamont said.
The state has been receiving a lot of inquiries from developers, the governor said. “Because people want to put housing right here because of this expansion going forward.”
“You see that up and down the Naugatuck Valley. People want to be in the valley, and rail is a big piece of that transit-oriented development,” Lamont said.
Improvements to the Waterbury station include a new 350-foot platform, real-time arrival video displays, enhanced security features, and a new 1,600-square-foot indoor waiting area located within the Union Station building.
Construction of the indoor waiting area is scheduled to begin next month, followed by platform work in early 2026. The new waiting area is expected to open to the public in the fall of 2026.
The $35.2 million project is 80% funded by federal money and is being overseen by the state Department of Transportation.
