Economic Development

Economic Development On The Tracks

Windsor Locks sees new train station as hot bed of activity

As Connecticut continues to invest in public transportation, towns and cities will have many more opportunities for economic development than it had in years. With a new train station being built in Windsor Locks after decades of discussions, the area is poised to become a hotbed of investment.

This past September, Governor Lamont, Department of Transportation Commissioner Joe Giuletti, Amtrak Assistant Vice President of Infrastructure Access and Investment Tom Moritz, Windsor Locks First Selectman Paul Harrington and others broke ground on the new train station, located in the downtown area nearby the old train station. As part of a transit-oriented development area, it will provide easy access from Bradley International Airport to the Hartford Line and from there much of Connecticut.

Investments in infrastructure are not made without any return on investment. It goes without saying that a train station without any purpose at all is not worth building. So why build this train station, and why in Windsor Locks?

“We continuously hear from businesses, both large and small, and residents that they want to be near public transportation that provide convenient options for travel,” Governor Lamont said in a press release.

“This new station is going to be a real driver of economic activity in Windsor Locks. In fact, when developers were looking to renovate the old Montgomery Mill down the road, they knew their investment was going to be worthwhile because of our plans to create this new train station just a short distance away.”

At a time when many towns and cities are looking at infrastructure because of the funds associated with the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act (IIJA), plans for developments can and must include economic development.

Even before the ground was broke on the train station, before there were IIJA funds, before even COVID hit, Windsor Locks began planning for economic development around a train station that didn’t exist yet.

According to a Hartford Business Journal from May of 2020, projects around the Hartford Line – which runs from New Haven to Springfield, Mass. – have included 1,400 residential units and 242,000 square feet of commercial and office space.

If Connecticut towns and cities are going to continue to see this kind of outside investment, the projects they are working on must invite that economic development. The virtuous cycle of transit-oriented development – infrastructure brings housing brings people brings economic development resulting in the need for more infrastructure – doesn’t just happen on its own. It must be intentional. With this new train station, Windsor Locks can be on the precipice of a new cycle of economic development, you just have to catch it before it leaves the station.

The Economic Development section of CT&C is sponsored by New Haven Terminal, Inc. Learn more at: www.newhaventerminal.com