Train Time: The Podcast

Luke Bronin is the 2026 Democratic Party candidate for Connecticut's 1st Congressional District, having secured the party's endorsement over 14-term incumbent Rep. John Larson in a historic upset. He was mayor of Hartford and co-chair of the North Atlantic Rail initiative, and joins us again to talk about transportation, infrastructure, and what the new US Congress needs to do to show voters that government can get things done and make lives better. Matt Silber asks about generational change and the link between housing and improved public transit, host Karen Christensen asks about interstate and regional cooperation, and they discuss the impact of transit on economic development and climate resilience--and encourage voters to keep up the work until Election Day 2026.Bronin for CongressLuke Bronin's candidate biographyBronin interview on Train Time in 2021 (Spotify)Train Time is a media project focused on passenger rail’s potential for making the world a better place. Please support us with a paid subscription or sponsorship.Music on the Train Time podcast comes from Two Bit Cowboys. Get full access to Train Time at traintime.substack.com/subscribe

Ian Hodkinson of Alstom joins Karen Christensen to discuss exactly what’s involved in making train lines more resilient in terms of extreme heat or cold as well as sea-level rise and flooding. He details the ways in which trains provide flexible and resilient transportation, and points out that they create resilience by offering alternative means of travel and moving product. Especially relevant to regional rail is Ian’s explanation of the options for electrifying train routes, and the ways that battery-powered cars now being used in Europe might provide solutions in North America. The discussion also included information about the manufacture of train cars—”equipment” or “rolling stock”—and how that could be made faster and less expensive.Train Time is a media project focused on passenger rail’s potential for making the world a better place. Please support us with a paid subscription or sponsorship. Get full access to Train Time at traintime.substack.com/subscribe

Matt Silber and Karen Christensen catch up on this Train Time talk, ranging around the region, in the way they’d be doing if there was a pub by the station. The “happy hour” kicks off with an article in the New York Times about a slowdown in the release of federal grants for public transit (gift link below). It also included news about an MTA project done under budget and ahead of schedule—an example of using new methods and technology to do things better. Karen and Matt get into legacy systems and legacy thinking, and how hard it is to get state Departments of Transportation to talk to each other. Other topics include Project 2025’s bizarre criticism of rail infrastructure, the potential for battery-powered trains, and how much we can learn from other countries about building better and faster.“Congress Budgeted Billions for Big Transit Projects. Trump Isn’t Spending It.” [New York Times gift link] Get full access to Train Time at traintime.substack.com/subscribe

Transit authorities like CTDOT often justify service cuts because they think nobody is paying attention. Let’s prove them wrong. On April 22nd, we’re heading to the public meeting to share our thoughts on CTDOT’s draft Connecticut 2055 plan. We want to show them thousands of signatures that say loud and clear, “We the people want more trains!”Train Time is a media project focused on passenger rail’s potential for making the world a better place. Please support us with a paid subscription or sponsorship.Music on the Train Time podcast comes from Two Bit Cowboys. Get full access to Train Time at traintime.substack.com/subscribe

Josh Elliott is running for governor of Connecticut in the Democratic primary in August and joins us to talk about public transportation and the role trains play (and could play) in Connecticut, as well as to ask about the transit policies he would prioritize as governor. Elliott has a lot to say about Connecticut finances, based on his experience as Deputy Speaker and Majority Caucus Co-Chair and as a member of the Finance, Revenue & Bonding Committee, the Public Health Committee, and the Judiciary Committee. We also discuss the importance of governors in supporting rail restoration. Train Time is a media project focused on passenger rail’s potential for making the world a better place. Please support us with a paid subscription or sponsorship.Music on the Train Time podcast comes from Two Bit Cowboys. Get full access to Train Time at traintime.substack.com/subscribe

Matt and Karen explain the bad news about the Change.org petition, but there's good news, too, and a new plan for action! Get full access to Train Time at traintime.substack.com/subscribe

North Canaan officials have long been strong supporters of the Housatonic Line revival. Going back some years, former Rep Roberta Willis (D) filed a bill regarding the line. Later, Brian Ohler (R) expressed support. The Train Campaign met with Maria Horn (D), the current state rep, and held joint meetings with rail advocates in the town, who themselves had created a first online petition that garnered thousands of signatures. Letter to the Editor Jan 29, 2014I am thrilled that Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty spoke during an interview on WNPR’s “Where We Live” (Jan. 7) about restoring passenger train service to northwest Connecticut.In three years, she said, we could have passenger trains running from Danbury to the Massachusetts border for the first time since 1971.Our congresswoman is trying to green our transportation system and encourage Hartford and Washington to give a little boost to the forgotten corner of Connecticut. She needs our support.There are so many reasons to return passenger train service to our area. Passenger rail would reduce pollution in our air by decreasing the number of cars on the road, expand our transportation network without any road construction, and bring new customers into our shops by boosting tourism in Litchfield and Fairfield Counties.For those of us in the Housatonic River Valley who take the train to New York City, the new train stops in Danbury, New Milford, Kent, Cornwall Bridge and Canaan would mean shorter drives to the train station. People without cars could use the train to get to work in a different town.Please join more than 2,200 people and 100 businesses by signing a petition in favor of passenger train service. Our elected officials need to know that we want our train back.Stephen Sherman, Falls VillageAnd here’s how that petition started:Tell Gov Malloy To Reinstate Passenger Railway Service To Northwest ConnecticutThe northwest corner is in dire need of passenger railway service. The bones of this project already exist and are shovel-ready. Passenger service would create a direct route to New York City and give people access to the Litchfield Hills and the Berkshires to enjoy the local attractions. This would also boost our local economy, create jobs, and promote tourism.Train Time is a media project focused on passenger rail’s potential for making the world a better place. Please support us with a paid subscription or sponsorship.Connecticut is keyCanaan is a key connecting point, and signs saying “RESTORE OUR RAILWAY!” were early inspiration for the Train Campaign. In 2015, as the Berkshire Edge put it, “100 brave Arctic chill to call for return of commuter rail service.”Then came further delays—”Connecticut may derail hopes for restoring Berkshires-to-Grand Central passenger rail service”—and the pandemic. When we were able to meet again in person, in 2021, the Train Campaign hosted a meet-and-greet during Railroad Days in Canaan, CT. Speakers included MA Rep Smitty Pignatelli, Canaan Selectman Christian Allyn, and bestselling author Simon Winchester. You can watch and listen to Christian Allyn’s speech at the link above. A Canaan native, he explains his fears and hopes for the town, an eloquent plea for the restoration of train service from New York to Canaan and on to the Berkshires. And here’s Simon Winchester from the same event.CreditsOur aerial footage comes from Paul Chesloff of Berkshire Skyview, and music from Two-bit Cowboys. Matt Silber wrote the new petition, which includes the Maybrook Line.Thanks for reading Train Time! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Train Time at traintime.substack.com/subscribe

In this show, Dave Strohmaier and Karen Christensen pick up a conversation after nearly 5 years—years during which Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) has really been making tracks. In 2023, the BSPRA was selected by the Federal Railroad Administration for further development and study, with a grant of $500,000 in seed money to help kick-start the North Coast Hiawatha route revitalization between Chicago and Seattle/Portland and connecting communities like Fargo, Bismarck, Billings, Bozeman, and Missoula. ShareDave explains how he and his colleagues have found ways to use existing legislation and cultivate relationships, in spite of political differences and over huge geographical area. As he brings us up to date with progress and plans for Big Sky Rail, he also shares advice that will be useful to officials and rail advocates in the Northeast and across the United States. Show Notes2023: “Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority is chosen for the Federal Corridor ID and Development Program”2025: Big Sky Passenger Rail Annual Conference - this is worth checking out just for the main photo!David Strohmaier is a Missoula County Commissioner and Chairman at Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority. We first spoke to him in February 2021 and you can listen to that podcast on Spotify at this link.Train Time is a media project focused on passenger rail’s potential for making the world a better place. Please support us with a paid subscription or sponsorship. Music on the Train Time podcast comes from Two Bit Cowboys. Get full access to Train Time at traintime.substack.com/subscribe

While you might think passenger rail, as public transportation, would be the province of Democrats, there are many Republican backers of rail projects. There are also rail initiatives that depend on people from both parties to work together. Today’s tri-state conversation brings together train-pilled colleagues Matt Silber (CT), Ellis Simon (NY), and Karen Christensen (MA) to talk about projects elsewhere in the United States and the lessons we might learn from them. There’s optimism here about one way to bridge political divides.Train Time is a media project focused on passenger rail’s potential for making the world a better place. Please support us with a paid subscription or sponsorship.Music on the Train Time podcast comes from Two Bit Cowboys. Get full access to Train Time at traintime.substack.com/subscribe

Karen Christensen shares stories about her train travel in Europe and Asia to explain how the Train Campaign and Train Time came to be—and survive, even into these tough times for public transportation. Train compartments in France, the cleanliness of Japanese high-speed trains, and the ease of train travel in the UK all get a mention. Most recently, Karen took Chinese high-speed trains between Yangzhou and Hangzhou and Shanghai. This podcast follows from one in which Karen asks Matt Silber about his travels around New England during the summer of 2025. In turn, this was his chance to ask her about what she experienced when traveling by train outside the US—most recently in China in June 2025.Train Time is a media project focused on passenger rail’s potential for making the world a better place. Please support us with a paid subscription or sponsorship. Get full access to Train Time at traintime.substack.com/subscribe