(The following story by Bruce Landis appeared on the Providence Journal website on July 14, 2009.)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The state wants to build a third track on the Amtrak railroad line in North Kingstown and renovate the Providence station as part of a plan to improve service throughout New England, officials said Monday.
Michael P. Lewis, the state director of transportation, said the additional track would be about a mile long and cost $25 million to $30 million. Rehabilitating the Providence station, which is somewhat down at the heels, would cost about $10 million, he said.
Governor Carcieri announced the plans along with the other New England governors. Carcieri said, “I am committed to the expansion of commuter rail service south of Providence, to Warwick and Wickford, and to the enhancement of inter-city rail for Rhode Island and the region. I strongly support the collaboration among the New England states.”
One of the plan’s goals is doubling passenger ridership in the Northeast by 2030. Another is cutting inter-city travel times, particularly between New York and Boston, on the corridor that includes Providence. In addition, the projects would add to and speed up rail service across New England.
Lewis called the plan “a regional rail vision” and said it reflects an effort by the states to work together on regional projects rather than seeking federal funds individually.
The states, including Rhode Island, will be competing with the rest of the country for $8 billion in federal stimulus money approved by President Obama and Congress. Not clear is when the grants would be awarded.
The state is already building a commuter rail station in Warwick at T.F. Green Airport and plans to start construction of a station at Wickford Junction this fall. Both will extend commuter rail service linking Boston south from Providence.
Rhode Island is one of two places in the Northeast Corridor where Amtrak’s premium service, the Acela, hits 150 miles per hour. (The other is in Massachusetts.) But there are only two tracks on the corridor through Rhode Island, a line that must handle Amtrak, freight, and now, expanding commuter service.
Lewis said that the extra track would provide a spot for trains to get out of the way of the Acela and other trains, and that it would help the regional goal of reducing rail travel time from New York to Boston. It would benefit Rhode Islanders by facilitating the state’s commuter rail service, he said.
The other New England projects would:
• Reduce travel time and increase service on the Downeaster, between Boston and Portland.
• Add stops in Concord, Manchester, Nashua and Boston in New Hampshire, making passenger service accessible to more than 500,000 people. The rail line would also stop at the Manchester Regional Airport, with the service eventually extending to White River Junction, Vt.
• Provide direct service down the western side of Vermont, connecting Burlington, Rutland and Bennington to Albany and New York City.
• Would return the Vermonter to its original route through western Massachusetts, linking Springfield with White River Junction.
• Would replace bridges and make other improvements on the Springfield Line in Connecticut, which links that city to Hartford and New Haven.