Since the Hartford Line opened in June 2018, more than one million riders have traveled on the commuter rail service. ( Courant file photo)

More than one million riders have traveled on the Hartford Line since the commuter rail service opened in June 2018, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday.

Ridership on the commuter line between New Haven, Hartford and Springfield has grown at a rate of 25% year-over-year, according to a news release from Lamont’s office. The one millionth ride occurred in late November. The Hartford Line is expected to exceed 750,000 passenger trips during its second year, far more than the 666,960 originally forecast.

“Central and northern Connecticut should have had a commuter rail line for decades — quite frankly it’s astounding that it wasn’t until a year and a half ago that the region finally got one, and these numbers show that people want more options to travel by rail,” Lamont said in a written statement.

The busiest month for the commuter line was last November, when 70,551 riders used the service, followed by 64,596 riders in December. Overall, the line has seen 1,075,559 passenger rides in the past 19 months.

Lamont has proposed to expand the Hartford Line under his CT2030 transportation plan, including adding a second line of rail tracks north of Hartford to increase service frequency in the area, adding new stations in Enfield and Windsor Locks — which would have a connection to Bradley International Airport — and installing digital displays at each station to provide train time information.

“This new service is a huge win for the state,” said state Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti. “The Hartford Line helps both the Connecticut economy by creating jobs and spurring transit oriented development, while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion on our highways.”

Harford Mayor Luke Bronin said the rail line “is hugely important for the future of central Connecticut.”

“Public transit does so many things at once — cutting emissions and combatting climate change, connecting communities and opening up job opportunities, and building a better business climate for every single employer,” he said in a written statement. “We should work quickly to build on the early success of the Hartford Line by expanding frequency and speed of rail service across Connecticut.”