CT: Enfield train station included in CT DOT's $16 billion five-year plan

State and local officials remain committed to plans for a new train station in the Thompsonville section of town.

The Enfield train station has been out of commission since 1986, but the new connection to the Hartford Line is about more than rail service.

Mayor Ken Nelson Jr. said the station is one of a handful of "great projects in the pipeline" that all tie together, including the planned reimagining of the Enfield Square mall property and new development at the riverfront.

The state Department of Transportation published its $16 billion, five-year capital plan Tuesday, detailing state and federal funds to be spent on nearly 100 projects from 2025 to 2029 and beyond.

The agency anticipates allocating roughly $5 billion to transportation projects in fiscal year 2024-25, including $2.7 billion for bus and rail. Among those are the $51.66 million Enfield train station, split between $35 million in state dollars and $16.66 million from the federal government.

The plan states the Enfield station will serve as a "catalyst" for the town's vision of transit-oriented development, while furthering the Hartford Line Rail Program's purpose to both increase the speed and frequency of rail service and address current and future intercity transportation needs.

The station will come with a total of 80 parking spots, connections to the existing town bus service and passenger amenities including full Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. Construction of the station is expected to begin this year.

Nelson said the town is working with the DOT to finalize the design, with Nelson taking issue with the potential removal of the Asnuntuck Street underpass, but that the process has been collaborative and the state has been "phenomenal" to work with.

"The governor has come to town any time we've requested it," Nelson said. "He said in his last speech when he was here, ' Enfield gets it.'"

Nelson said the state has given towns and cities "the tools to help move projects forward," noting the $4 million each in brownfield grants given to both the riverfront development and Enfield Square.

The train station will be the missing piece in Enfield's plans for public transit, Nelson said. New residents on the riverfront will be able to navigate without a car, when combining walkable development and local transportation programs with the state's rail service, and existing residents will have access to new opportunities outside of Enfield.

When the old station was closed, "it kind of isolated the town, everyone has to have a car," Nelson said. "That's coming to an end ... the access to anywhere in our country is at our door."

Nelson said the plans for land on North River Street along the Connecticut River, which would bring housing and amenities to Enfield's "hidden gem," could be joined by a South River Street development that is currently in talking stages.

" Enfield doesn't know how lucky they are to have the river frontage they have, but most of it is inaccessible," Nelson said.