First new rail cars arrive

New Haven (WTNH) - Santa brought an early Christmas present to some Connecticut rail commuters -- two new rail cars for the New Haven line. And many more are on the way.

It's been 35 years since new cars serviced the New Haven Line. Gov. Rell had the state buy 300 M8's from the Kawasaki Company of Japan.

"Beautiful, just beautiful," she said while taking a tour of the new cars.

Built for comfort and efficiency, many commuters say those are traits the current cars are without.

"I think they could use an upgrade," Michael Wiles of Bolton said. "I sometimes take Amtrak, sometimes I take Metro-North. I think Amtrak is a little nicer."

"It's a relief to hear that we are getting new cars," Melissa Hamilton of Manchester said, "especially when you are commuting for an hour and a half.

Some still believe the current cars are serviceable.

"They work," Bekah Dickstein of New Haven said, "so why spend the money? I mean, the money could go elsewhere."

They are going to put the cars out in pairs. The first two will be on the tracks in 2010. It's going to be a prime piece of movable property. You're gonna be looking for them when you make a trip. And you might be able to experience that new train smell.

"It does smell nice," Gov. Rell said. "I hope it stays around until we get them on the track."

The trains will need to go through local testing for the next four-to-six months. Department of Transportation officials say they should be running by the end of the year. With all the test that needs to be done it will take about five years to get all 300 cars running regularly.