UPDATE: New information has been added regarding where to send your questions in advance of the meeting, the format of the meeting and attendees — see text in red below. We have now received an official announcement regarding the public meeting with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in Old Lyme from Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder.
The meeting will be held next Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 4:30 p.m. in the Lyme-Old Lyme High School auditorium, 69 Lyme St., Old Lyme, CT. This meeting will last about 1.5 to 2 hours, and the FRA will give a very short presentation to clarify the process and address misstatements. Then the FRA representatives will have a roundtable discussion about the NEC Futures Draft EIS with local and state leaders.
The meeting will be open to the public in an effort to allow residents and businesses to hear the discussion. Questions will not be permitted from the floor.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, along with local selectmen and elected officials, have been invited to the meeting. Congressman Joe Courtney is able to attend until 5 p.m. and CT Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redeker will be there for the entire meeting. We now understand Senator Blumenthal will be there for the entire meeting also.
The Town of Old Lyme requests that comments and questions be submitted to [email protected] prior to the meeting so that they may be addressed at the roundtable discussion. It will also be possible to submit questions at the meeting for discussion by the participants.
SECoast, the non-profit organizing and educating the public to protect Southeastern Connecticut and the Lower Connecticut River Valley that is constructively opposing the proposed rail route through Old Lyme, has requested that any questions readers submit to the town are also submitted to them at [email protected]. This will enable the organization to keep track of the questions asked since they will obviously not all be answered at the public meeting. SECoast is not a participant at the roundtable discussion.
Reemsnyder recommends arriving early since the meeting will begin promptly at 4:30 p.m.
As an airline pilot I know the shortest distance between two cities is a straight line and to get there before the competition, a fast pace is necessary. So, it is clear to me that to attain High Speed rail service from NYC to Boston two primary issues must be addressed. 1 – The MPH of the train and 2 – the shortest, most direct route from NYC to Boston. Choosing the local shore line route would have the train roaring through population centers, village centers, historic centers as well as centers of learning, all requiring slower speeds for safety and enormous renovation of track beds, bridges and human relocation. Addressing item 2 – the shoreline route is considerably longer than one passing through Hartford. Remember, Hartford is essentially a dying city, empty and dangerous at night. It economically needs the revitalization of inclusion in the program. Not selecting the Hartford alternative will only deliver highly expensive, slow service, something which we already have now.