Commuter rail line hit by soaring fuel costs

STAMFORD, CT – Metro-North’s fuel costs for diesel-powered locomotives have soared, nearly doubling since 2003, a spokesman for the rail commuter line said.

Metro-North spent more than $12 million for diesel fuel last year, a 50 percent increase from 2004 and a 90 percent increase from 2003.

The bump in operating costs has prompted the state Department of Transportation to review a possible rate increase.

“Right now, we’re just eating those costs,” Eugene Colonese, rail administrator for DOT’s rail bureau said Thursday. “Right now, we’re not looking at (a fare increase). But that’s not to say we won’t do it.”

Boston Globe