POLL: Metro-North Fare Hike Looms

In January, the first of the Connecticut Department of Transportation's proposed Metro-North fare increases will take effect, and annual increases will occur afterwards until 2018. 

Considered unfair by many Connecticut commuters, the possibility exists, at least from CDOT's perspective, that a 5.25% fare hike may be essential to solving some of New Haven Line's .

"Rail fares have not been increased for 7 years, and you'd be hard-pressed to find any service or commodity that can make that claim," CDOT Director of Communications Judd Eberhart said. "Any money that we get through fares is put back into improving railroad quality."

"It's great to ask the public's opinion, but bad to ignore what they say," CRCC president Jim Cameron said. "We've asked for two years if there would be a fare increase, we've always been told 'no'." 

According to CDOT, commuter fares cover only 70% of the New Haven Line's operating costs. The rest comes from state taxes. 

Cameron and Eberhart both acknowledge that Gov. Malloy's "" was the first time in a long time that a Metro North fare increase was seriously discussed. "Malloy reached a budget impasse with the unions," Cameron said. "Plan B was not enacted, but the fare increases remained."

However, CDOT claims that while a fare increase was included in Plan B, Jan. 2012's fare increase and the Plan B increase have nearly nothing in common. 

According to Eberhart, Plan B's fare increase would've only taken effect if Malloy and the state unions could not reach a concessions agreement.

"Under Malloy's Plan B, the 16.4% increase would've happened all at once," Eberhart said. "If a concessions agreement hadn't been approved, CDOT would've had to balance their budget through fare increases, and even layoffs."

Like others, Eberhart suggests that the New Haven Line's current fleet of rail cars are very old, and more M-8's are needed, of which there are now 36.

"We've been forced to put off maintenance and repairs throughout the years because we didn't have any fare increases," Eberhart said. "I think commuters will see an improvement in quality."

Participate in our poll below, or tell us what you think in comments. Will higher fares increase quality?