(NECN: Brian Burnell) - Commuters in Connecticut will soon be riding in style. New cars start running on the Metro-North rails next month. .
The cars have been in the works for years and were one of Governor M. Jodi Rell's first priorities when she took office.
That being the case, she was on hand as a car with her name on it was hooked up for a trial run from New Haven to Stamford. They are the so-called "M-8" cars built by Kawasaki in its Lincoln, Nebraska plant.
Over 350 are on order at a cost of 860-million dollars. The new cars are brighter than the old with more comfortable seats and amenities like electrical outlets. No one is happier than the governor to see them.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell, R-Connecticut: "I have to tell you I have been bugging the DOT, literally, almost every day saying when? When are we going to get them in service? When are we ready to go? We know that the New Haven Line is critical to economic development and to the future of our state."
The new cars are necessary, in part, because the New Haven line is the busiest in the country, busier, even, than the Long Island Railroad. The new cars replace ones that have been in service for 35 years.
