Shore Line East

Shore Line East
Shore Line East train at Clinton station in August 2022
Overview
Locale	Southern Connecticut
Termini	Stamford (limited weekday service) New Haven Union Station New London
Stations	14
Website	shorelineeast.com
Service
Type	Commuter rail / regional rail
System	CT Rail
Operator(s)	Amtrak (under contract from CTDOT)
Rolling stock	Kawasaki M8 EMUs
Daily ridership	2,200 (Q4 2019)[1]
History
Opened	May 29, 1990
Technical
Line length	50.6 mi (81.4 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line; 25 kV 60 Hz (New London–New Haven)
Route map Legend Northeast Corridor to Boston New London Niantic River Bridge Niantic (proposed) Connecticut River Bridge Old Saybrook Westbrook Clinton Madison Guilford Branford Hartford Line to Springfield New Haven State Street New Haven Union Station limited service limited service West Haven Milford Stratford Bridgeport New Haven Line intermediate stops Stamford New Haven (NEC) to Grand Central Distance shown from Grand Central This diagram: view talk edit

Shore Line East (SLE) is a commuter rail service which operates along the Northeast Corridor through southern Connecticut, United States. The rail service is a fully owned subsidiary of the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) and is operated under the CT Rail brand. SLE provides service seven days a week along the Northeast Corridor between New London and New Haven; limited through service west of New Haven to Bridgeport and Stamford operates during weekday rush hours. Cross-platform transfers to Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line trains are available at New Haven for service to southwestern Connecticut and New York City. Pre-COVID, around 2,200 riders used the service on weekdays.^[1]

The service was introduced in 1990 as a temporary measure to reduce congestion during construction work on I-95. However, it proved more popular than expected, and service was continued after construction ended despite criticisms that the line was too expensive to operate. Limited service was extended to New London in 1996 and to Stamford in 2001. A second station in New Haven was added in 2002, and most of the stations were rebuilt for accessibility between 2001 and 2008. Reverse peak service was added in 2007, followed by weekend service in 2008. Second platforms were added to several stations between 2014 and 2022 to support bidirectional service.

Service was temporarily cut during 2018–2019 due to Amtrak track work and a locomotive shortage. It was again cut in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Diesel trains were replaced by Kawasaki M8 electric multiple units in May 2022. Proposals for future expansion include extensions to Westerly, Rhode Island, and Norwich, Connecticut, and an infill station in Niantic.