What do students who are from out of state, have internships, go home every weekend, or simply like to travel have in common? For Fairfield University students, it’s the Metro-North Railroad.
Whether it’s a film major traveling to shoot a scene for a project or a business major commuting into the city for an internship, the Metro-North Railroad is widely used amongst students at Fairfield University. But these trains that provide students with transportation have recently been undergoing renovations.
New “quiet cars” were introduced last fall as a trial on the Hudson and Harlem lines and have received positive feedback, according to the Connecticut Post. New furnished seats and bathrooms, along with auto recorded location reminders for the current and next stops, have been replacing older train models.
“Since I’m new to the area, I was surprised that it was very easy to take the train by myself,” said Shealyn Testa ’14. “I had to go to Darien to coach field hockey, and it clearly marked which towns we were stopping in and which stations were next. It was my first time taking the train, so I was very thankful I got the new model.”
Many students who have commuted into New York City regularly are satisfied with the changes being made to the Metro-North Railroad. Some are graduating this May and have had many experiences with the transportation system.
“I used to work in the city over the summer and it was how I got in and out of Manhattan,” said Sergio Lara ’12. “The older trains were very loud, you would be sleeping and all of a sudden be woken up from a huge bump. Although I haven’t taken the new trains, they seem much better.”
According to an article in the CT Post, the majority of passengers who have ridden the new quiet cars have been satisfied. In a survey that showed the results from Hudson and Harlem lines passengers during a two month trial period last October, 90 percent of the 4,300 people surveyed said they were content with the new Metro-North quiet car.
“It is clear from the survey that our customers not only like the quiet car program, but want it expanded,” said the Connecticut Transportation Commissioner. “If we are going to entice more people to use public transportation, we need to make it as attractive as possible. This is one small step we can take to improve the overall customer experience.”
Another survey of New Haven line riders during last month showed that 83 percent of passengers supported the increase of quiet cars to prevent high volume conversations, loud iPods and discussions over cell phones.
Railroad spokeswoman Majorie Anders said that the discussion on the idea of constructing new quiet trains had not only originally been brought up due to noise issues but also shortages of seats on New Haven Line trains, according to the Connecticut Post article.
Fairfield University students have expressed that they have also faced the problem with space on the older trains. According to Shealyn Testa ’14, she had difficulty finding a seat while on the train, even when it wasn’t during rush hour. Testa said that during her commute on the older train, she “was standing the whole time.”
Although the new trains have satisfied many at Fairfield University, students are still looking for more improvements. For students who have to switch trains once they are in New York City to get home, there are comments that suggest the train ride can still be made to be more convenient for the passengers.
“I go into the city for student films in the fall and spring, but I also use the train to go back and forth from home,” said Eve Seiter ’14. “The new trains have a decent amount of seats and the interior of the train is better, but I still would like to see more foot space and more space above the seats for suitcases”.
The quiet car program will be spread to 60 trains each in the morning and evening rush-hour periods starting April 2, compared to the current 18 morning and afternoon rush-hour trains that started in January, according to Metro-North. The increases in quiet cars are expected to eliminate any space problems on the Metro-North Railroad.
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