Federal $12.6 Million Grant For Derby-Shelton Train Station Upgrade

DERBY-SHELTON — State transportation officials said they’ll use a $12.6 million federal grant to start a major overhaul of the dilapidated Derby-Shelton train station.

The money will be used for a new, 200-foot, ADA compliant platform with built-in heaters (to prevent icing — as it stands, the concrete is so damaged removing snow if difficult); commuter canopies; parking and landscaping improvements; real-time information systems; ticketing kiosks, and; pedestrian and bicycle networks that will better connect the train station to downtown Derby and Shelton.

The parking lot will be redone. Charging stations for electric cars will be installed. Officials are calling the project ​“The Derby-Shelton Multimodal Transportation Center.”

There’s no construction start date yet, and the project still has to be designed. The money discussed Friday doesn’t seem to address the building at the train station, which has been vacant since 2015. But the fact the project is being funded by a highly competitive federal RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity) grant is a big commitment to the Valley, officials said.

“Listen — this is an example of what happens when we work together. When Republicans and Democrats work together,” U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said during a Friday press conference announcing the federal money at Valley Transit.

(Related: listen to a podcast with separate interviews here.)

The full press conference — which also included remarks by state Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph J. Giulietti, Derby Mayor Rich Dziekan, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (by prepared video), U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, and Gov. Ned Lamont — is embedded at the top of this post.

The $12.6 million grant comes as millions of dollars are being poured into the Waterbury train line, a once neglected Metro-North commuter line.

Gov. Lamont was just at the Ansonia station two weeks ago talking about money going toward the Waterbury branch. Click here for the story.

There are also plans to add seven additional weekday trains, along with increased bus service from the Valley Transit building, which underwent an $8.2 million renovation in 2018 and is next to the train station. The Derby train station is next to the entrance of Home Depot.

The government’s reason for spending the money is simple — to try to jumpstart economic development in the Valley, particularly in Derby, where the median household income is $57,432 (roughly $16,000 less than the state average) and 27 percent of the households are classified as low income (compared to 23 percent of the population statewide).

Derby is the fifth most economically distressed city in Connecticut, with high unemployment and poverty, an older housing stock, and little opportunity within city limits for good-paying jobs.

Investing in reliable transportation systems is a possible pathway toward more opportunities, Murphy said.

“We are all about transit oriented development right now, and the proof is in the pudding,” Murphy said. ​“When we invest in train stations, when we invest in multimodal stations — developers follow. Economic development follows.”

Rick Dunne is executive director of the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments. His agency played a critical role in helping to draft the grant application for the federal DOT grant. The original request was for about $19 million.

He pointed out the improvements slated for the Derby-Shelton should be looked at as a series of investments that are happening downtown.

The state DOT is currently reviewing bids for the Route 34/Main Street widening project, a project that will tie into the train station rehab. Then there’s the $6.3 million Derby-Shelton bridge renovation, which is currently underway. Eventually they’ll be a bicycle/pedestrian friendly way to get from downtown Shelton, where new housing is plentiful, to the Derby-Shelton train. Meanwhile, the expanded Main Street, with dedicated turning lanes for motorists, is designed to cut down on bottlenecks.

Mayor Dziekan pointed out Derby is finally seeing proposals for new developments, which he hopes will increase with better train service.

The Derby Planning and Zoning Commission is currently entertaining an application for 105 apartments at 90 Main St. (the former Lifetouch property). The commission had previously approved 70 apartments there, but the developer returned this week with a bigger project.

In October, the city’s P&Z approved a proposal for 90 apartments at a long vacant property on Minerva Street.

In July, the P&Z approved a proposal that calls for an underdeveloped office building on Elizabeth Street to be converted into apartments.

In February 2020, the P&Z approved 203 apartments and 8,000 square feet of retail space on Factory Street. However, that project has not started.

Derby is also negotiating the sale (or takeover at fair market value) and relocation of a scrap yard downtown, which officials see as a hurdle to downtown investment.

All those projects are within walking distance of the Derby-Shelton train station.

“We’re a distressed city on this side (of the Housatonic River, across from Shelton),” Mayor Dziekan said at Friday’s press conference. ​“This is a shot in the arm for us.”

Jim Gildea, a Derby resident who serves as chairman of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council, said the investments in the Waterbury branch, and now the investment in a true Derby transportation center, have the potential to be game changers for Derby.

“I joined the CT Commuter Rail Council in 2012 simply because this line was completely archaic,” Gildea said. ​“We organized forums along the branch, we connected with the commuters and legislators and the CDOT, and here we stand 10 years later with passing sidings, positive train control, six new cars coming and seven additional daily trains scheduled for next year. On top of all that , here we are now looking at a $12.6 million investment for this multi modal transportation center.”

Gildea thanked the DOT, Gov. Lamont and the Valley’s delegation in D.C. for their advocacy.

“As a boots on the ground commuter, a Derby resident who uses this very station and this Waterbury branch line, I speak with some authenticity and credibility when I say that this is simply one of the most exciting initiatives that I’ve seen in my 50 years here in Derby. This is simply amazing,” Gidea said.

A bunch of state lawmakers were also in attendance for Friday’s grant announcement, including state Sen. Jorge Cabrera, state Rep. Nicole-Klarides Ditria and state Rep. Kara Rochelle.

Giulietti, the state DOT honcho, specifically singled out Derby state Rep. Mary Welander for her efforts in lobbying for the grant.

“I toured this historic property earlier this year with about a dozen members of multiple state agencies and commissions and we all agreed that while this wouldn’t be an easy project, it had the ability to transform the City of Derby and the surrounding area,” Welander said.

“This much-needed investment further underscores how important the Waterbury Line is to our community and these improvements will make it easier for people to implement public transportation into their everyday lives while also reducing pollution and congestion on state roads,” Klarides-Ditria said.

“The Waterbury Branch Line is an economic driver for the Naugatuck Valley, and this grant to modernize the Derby-Shelton station coupled with funding included in the state budget for increased rail service on the Waterbury Rail Line will go a long way to revitalize the Lower Valley and spur significant economic growth,” Rochelle said.

Seymour First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis was also in attendance Friday. She issued a statement saying investment in the Waterbury branch in an investment in the Naugatuck Valley.

“The Waterbury Line has always been a large part of keeping the Valley connected and improvements like the ones being made here in Derby will have a substantial positive impact on riders throughout the region, including for the people of Seymour who depend on safe, reliable service to get to and from work or to see family,” Seymour First Selectwoman Drugonis said. ​“I’m glad the Line is getting the attention it deserves.”