As the Amtrak Acela, America’s fastest train, approaches Westerly Station, it doesn’t even break speed.
The Acela can’t stop in Westerly because the boarding platforms are four feet too low.
Same goes for Connecticut Shoreline East commuter trains. Mass transit advocates in both states have long hoped to extend that line north into Rhode Island.
“If we’re serious about building reliable and accessible commuter rail for the next generation, Westerly is where that begins,” said Connecticut State Rep. Aundré Bumgardner (R-Groton/Stonington)
But, as of right now, that’s still a pipe dream.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is seeking public input on how best to expand rail service in the Ocean State. Officials have been holding “listening sessions” to hear public comment directly. There’s also an online survey that closes today.
RIDOT has been getting an earful.
“My doctor just told me not to drive for at least the near future,” said one man at a packed session held at the Westerly Public Library last week. “So, for me, much better regional and local train service is not just a long-unfulfilled wish, it’s a necessity.”
Some complained about ticket prices. Others, about the frequency and reliability of trains, as well as adding more parking and coordinating train service with RIPTA bus routes. People also expressed their hope that the MBTA will expand its service in Rhode Island.
“I serve on one of the town committees,” another Westerly man said. “I’ve spoken with a number of the local manufacturers. They say if there were a regular commuter service, they would change their production schedule around it. But it has to be regular and constant so that people can actually get to work.”
There’s no shortage of opinions on what needs to improve. But determining what the priorities should be isn’t easy.
For one thing, Amtrak owns the tracks along the Northeast Corridor, so any big improvements have to get buy-in from them.
Rhode Island’s current State Transportation Improvement Plan talks a lot about building a new Amtrak station at T.F. Green Airport. But even if Rhode Island builds one — at a cost of upwards of $300 million — Amtrak ultimately decides whether the trains will actually stop.
Meanwhile, Amtrak’s current five-year plan mentions cosmetic and safety upgrades to Providence Station, but nothing about T.F. Green or Westerly.
“I’m skeptical of the kind of cost that goes into creating an Amtrak stop at T.F. Green,” Barry Schiller, a retired transportation advocate for the Sierra Club, told RIDOT at one of the listening sessions.
“I’ve seen data that indicate that slowing the trip from Boston and Providence to New York on the corridor would actually lose Amtrak passengers, because they have to compete with airplanes from Boston to New York and Providence to New York,” Schiller said.
Rhode Island is also working on other fixes that don’t involve building new infrastructure. For instance, the state hopes to make it possible for southbound riders on Massachusetts commuter rail lines to complete their journeys by boarding Amtrak trains using the same MBTA ticket.
As infrastructure investments go, raising part of the platform in Westerly to make it possible for the Acela or Connecticut Shoreline East commuter trains to stop would be a relatively modest investment.
“The estimate in the Northeast Corridor Commission’s plan is roughly $6.5 million,” said Alex Berardo of the Rhode Island Association of Railroad Passengers.
Brown University’s Marc Dunkelman, who wrote the bestselling book Why Nothing Works, called the proposed Westerly improvements “low-hanging fruit.”
“The element that really delays most rail projects is when you need to cut through a new neighborhood to build a new line,” he said.
“In the same sense that Pennsylvania was able to rebuild I-95 when it collapsed in sort of record time, in this case, we know where the train platform is going to be, and it can be quick,” Dunkelman said.
RIDOT officials said there are other barriers to extending the Connecticut line, including several railway bridges where it would be difficult to add a new track for another train.
RIDOT’s Pamela Cotter said it can be hard to convince lawmakers in other states to prioritize serving Rhode Island.
“Gov. (Ned) Lamont in Connecticut is more interested in other rail services around the state, especially closer to New York City, so I’m just not sure it’s a priority right now,” Cotter said. “But we keep talking to them and we think we might be able to move the needle.”
All of which does give some hope to railroad enthusiasts like Alex Berardo.
