Rhode Island Signs Final Agreement For Commuter Rail Service
Governor Donald L. Carcieri has announced that the final agreement to commence commuter rail service between Warwick, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts has been signed.
The Governor was joined by Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Michael P. Lewis, Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) President and CEO Kevin A. Dillon, rail officials and other transportation enthusiasts.
The event was held at the T.F. Green commuter rail train platform located at the InterLink transportation hub in Warwick.
Senator Jack Reed, House Speaker Gordon D. Fox, Senator William A. Walaska (representing Senate President Paiva-Weed), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Rhode Island Division Administrator Peter Osborn, Amtrak Senior Director for Commuter Operations Thomas Moritz, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) General Manager Richard Davey, and Providence and Worcester (P&W) Railroad Company President and Director P. Scott Conti stood together at the train platform and held a ceremonial signing which acknowledged all of the partners who made this complex deal possible.
“For nearly eight years, my administration has worked closely with the MBTA, Amtrak and the Providence and Worcester Railroad to fulfill our shared vision for this innovative, 21st century transportation project,” said Governor Carcieri. “Later this month, we celebrate another milestone with the official opening of the InterLink and rental car facility. Extending commuter rail to Warwick, and later to Wickford Junction, and the improvements we’ve made at T.F. Green Airport will have far-reaching positive impacts upon improving our transportation system and fueling our economy.”
“The extension of train service will be a great boost to Rhode Island’s economy and T.F. Green Airport in particular. I am an enormous fan of commuter rail for environmental reasons as well. This fits perfectly with plans to help Rhode Island become a major player in regional commerce in the 21st century,” House Speaker Gordon D. Fox.
Commuter rail service in Rhode Island will phase in later this fall when MBTA service from Boston is extended down from Providence to Warwick. Initial start-up trains are expected to stop at the T.F. Green station six times a day. When the Wickford Junction Train Station opens in late 2011, trains will continue down to North Kingstown and are expected to make ten stops per day.
“Rhode Island, like the rest of the nation, can’t build its way out of traffic congestion,” said RIDOT Director Lewis. “Alternative methods of travel must be developed and embraced, and this commuter rail agreement makes that rail alternative a reality.”
The InterLink at T.F. Green Airport is scheduled to open on Wednesday, October 27. This state-of- the-art facility will connect travelers to planes, trains, buses and automobiles.
Kevin A. Dillon, President and CEO, Rhode Island Airport Corporation, said, “There are a number of benefits that this new commuter rail stop to T. F. Green Airport will provide. It will offer enhanced customer service for our passengers, who are looking for a more seamless way to access the airport. It presents a greater marketing tool for those airlines looking to start or increase service in the population rich area that this commuter rail service will cover. Additionally, this project has a positive environmental impact, which bodes well for all of us.”
RIDOT and MBTA’s Providence-Boston commuter rail service, known as the Pilgrim Partnership, began in 1988 with five roundtrips per day and approximately 200 riders.
Today it has 14 round trips per day as well as weekend service and approximately 1,200 riders per day from Providence.
The partnership has proven beneficial to both agencies as Rhode Island gets access to regional transportation to and from Boston, and Massachusetts has gotten much needed capital improvements including the Pawtucket layover facility, bi-level coaches and other maintenance upgrades along the Providence line.
South County Commuter Rail service will extend the Providence trains by 20 miles south to T.F. Green Airport and eventually to Wickford Junction.
It will provide a convenient rail link between Wickford, Warwick, Providence and the New England region and serve as an alternative to the automobile for commuters working in Providence and Boston.
Topics: 2010, Amtrak, Boston, commuter rail service, construction, Department of Transportation, economic development, economic growth, economic recovery, Economy, employment, Governance, government, Governor Donald L. Carcieri, investment, jobs, Massachusetts, moniter, monitor, New England, news, Pilgrim Partnership, Providence, rail, Rhode Island, Rhode Island Airport Corporation, RIAC, RIDOT, South County Commuter Rail service, T.F. Green Airport, T.F. Green commuter rail train platform, trains, transportation, U.S., United States, Warwick, Wickford Junction, Windsor Locks station
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