Photo courtesy of Wikimedia user Jehochman / CC BY-SA 4.0

A commuter rail line service that connects Connecticut and Massachusetts communities in the Connecticut River Valley and beyond attracted record ridership during Thanksgiving weekend.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that the Hartford Line trains saw more than 4,000 riders the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, MassLive.com reported.

The commuter rail line serves communities between New Haven, Connecticut and Springfield, including a stop in Hartford.

More than 3,500 passengers chose the Hartford Line and Amtrak the Wednesday before the holiday in 2018.

The line’s ridership grew from 3,000 on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2018 to 3,600 this year.

The state agency said it deployed 10 additional rail trains on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Springfield’s Union Station even offered pie to travelers to compensate for the big crowds.

“The extra trains were a resounding success and surpassed expectations,” said the state agency Commissioner Joseph Giulietti in a statement. “Our preparation and teamwork paid off.”

Pioneer Valley officials say there is pent-up demand for better public transit in their area, and MassDOT recently announced the launch of a limited commuter rail service between Greenfield and New Haven.