Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell yesterday blasted her transportation commissioner for failing to get 33 rail cars on track to expand service on Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line.

In a statement, Rell said she is "angry and disappointed" with "inexcusable delays in the project to refurbish rail cars purchased from Virginia."

State Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, criticized Rell for waiting until yesterday to take action on the long-delayed process to provide more rail cars for Metro-North.

Duff had asked in March for Rell and Department of Transportation Commissioner Stephen Korta II to give him information about the progress of obtaining the cars and readying them for service.

"What is 'unacceptable' is that this situation just recently 'came to the governor's attention,' " Duff said in a statement. "Where has she been for the last eight months? Back in March, I called on the governor and DOT Commissioner Korta to answer some tough questions. Their silence until today has been deafening."

In a complicated swap, used cars were to be bought, refurbished and put into service on Shore Line East, where they would be most compatible with other equipment.

In exchange, Shore Line East would send its cars to be used on Metro-North. Shore Line East runs east from New Haven to New London.

But after a first request for bids on the refurbishing project yielded no qualified bidders, it has taken the DOT seven months to get another bid together. The second bid is still not quite ready, DOT spokesman Chris Cooper said.

Rell said yesterday she wants action on the matter.

"It has come to my attention that the initial request for proposals for a contract pertaining to the refurbishment of the rail cars purchased in 2004 from Virginia resulted in no qualified bidders for the project and that, incredibly, a follow-up RFP (request for proposal) has yet to be issued," Rell wrote Thursday in a letter to Korta. "DOT has apparently known that there was a need to reissue the RFP for the refurbishment of the rail cars since late spring, and yet, no new RFP has been issued for this project as of the date of this letter. This delay is totally unacceptable."

Rell said she wants monthly updates on the status of the cars.

Rell had told state residents that an additional 2,000 seats would be available on Metro North by year's end.