Getting the Metro Center project completed was a decade long process and tomorrow will mark a more exciting time in what has been in many ways a long and expensive saga.  With this opening we will no longer just be looking at numbers on paper and pictures of what the station what the station looks like along with guesses on how it will operate.  This part should be helpful in ironing out the details and planning for the future.  It is also a time where our residents will begin to feel the benefits of having the additional station in town.  There has already been a lot of development in the area and residents are regularly filling up the new restaurants and stores in that section of town.  It's expected we'll see that positive trend continue.

Questions have recently been raised about the number of new parking spaces added for Fairfield residents, the lack of a temporary waiting area or temporary bathrooms, and who to contact for the new train station.  For the Fairfield and Southport stations, commuters contact the locally run Parking Authority, for Fairfield Metro Center commuters will need to contact the state or their hired manager which is a private company.  Also, an issue that has finally gained some traction in the local press is that there is currently no formal plan for temporary bathrooms (note: one reason for this station was to have a fully ADA compliant station in town) or a waiting area as we approach the winter.  Once the private development is completed the station will have a large and modern mezzanine area for this but that is clearly years away.  Commuters are already rightfully questioning where to turn for this issue.  It's come up in the past at RTM meetings during FMC updates but always appeared to be something that would rightfully get addressed.

The messages below were tweeted the evening of Tuesday Nov. 29th by RTM Rep. Michael Herley (R-1).  First, thank you Michael for your posts - and thank you for staying on top of all of this even after leaving the PA!  As background..Michael is a Southport Commuter and prior to being a member of the RTM, Michael was a former Vice Chairman of the Fairfield Parking Authority.  During the last RTM term he also served as a member (and Secretary) of the RTM Metro Center Special Committee.  Michael has been an advocate for local commuters and while no longer on the Parking Authority, he has regularly kept involved with commuter, parking, and station issues.

Hopefully commuters find the information below helpful in resolving some initial questions for the stations and the permits that are being issued.  If there are any questions, please feel free to contact myself (david@davidbecker.com) or Michael (michael.herley@gmail.com) and we can help work to resolve your issue or will point you in the right direction.

Michael’s Posts:

@michaelherley: Commuter Alert: Blue RR parking permits for #Fairfield + #Southport stations expiring due to FMC transfer @tonyhwang http://bit.ly/w39zeK

@michaelherley: I believe #Fairfield would have been more well served if the Parking Authority had oversight of the Metro Center not some private company!

@michaelherley: The Parking Authority’s board is made up of five individuals who live in town (including commuters) and the Authority holds public meetings.

@michaelherley: The Authority holds its meetings on a monthly basis, publishing its agendas and minutes on the Town of #Fairfield’s website.

@michaelherley: If commuters have an issue with #Southport or #Fairifeld station they can share concerns at monthly meetings or call over to Town Hall.

@michaelherley: Can we expect to get the same level of transparency & access from the private company the state has hired to run #Fairfield Metro Center?

@michaelherley: Still believe # of net new RR parking permits for #Fairfield residents post Metro Center opening will be less much less than 1st advertised