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Connecticut residents take the train to - and from - Manhattan for New Year's Eve celebrations

While there were a good number of people on the train going to the city, the reverse commute was a little less crowded.

Greg Thompson

Dec 31, 2025, 7:41 PM

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Plenty of Connecticut residents hopped on the rails Wednesday morning to celebrate the New Year in New York City.

"I know it's going to be very crowded," said Eva Pasciak, who lives in Stamford.

"You can't really want to be anywhere at any specific time, you kind of just got to go with the flow," agreed Megan Rivera, who is visiting family in East Haven.

Eva and her husband Mark said they were hoping to avoid the worst of it though, especially Times Square, which Mark said would be way too crowded.

However, with friends visiting from Poland, they did at least want to show them what all the rage is about.

"We want to see the atmosphere, the vibe and feel the magic," Eva said.

"It would be nice to see all the happy excited people around so, just a little bit - close by," laughed Natalia Reizer, one of the friends who was visiting.

On the other hand, the Rivera family said, they embrace the crowd.

They went to midtown for New Year's Eve once about seven years ago, and say with everyone back in East Haven for the holidays, they wanted to do it again.

"It is kind of jam-packed, but the energy there, the music on the stages in Times Square, it's something you can't kind of replicate," said Debora Rivera. "You have to experience it at least once."

While there were a good number of people on the train going to the city, the reverse commute was a little less crowded.

The people on it though, had a bit of a different feeling about being in New York City on New Year's Eve.

"Get us out of here," laughed Bill Engelhardt, who is in town from Minnesota.

Most of the people going that direction agreed, saying they were looking to escape to a little relaxation in Connecticut.

"I like a nice quiet New Year's Eve," said David Lefkin, who lives in Guilford.

"The foot traffic is not as crazy I would say in Guilford, Connecticut, as it is around Times Square," added Evan Young, who lives in Queens, "so I'm looking forward to that a little bit."

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