Another session on the Charlestown Citizens Alliance's (CCA) top obsession
Adriana
Vossari, RI & Local Government, is NOT an actual person but rather is an AI-bot used by UpriseRI to review and summarize public records. Click here for their explanation for how this is done:
The study will weigh new rail alignments or upgrades on the line ending in Providence, and Rhode Islanders can weigh in at a Wakefield open house on Nov. 4. Amtrak says no route has been chosen.
The Wakefield open house runs from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at
South Kingstown High School, 215 Columbia St. The Groton session runs the same
hours on Thursday, Nov. 5, at the Thrive55+ Active Living Center, the Groton
Senior Center. Both are drop-in events, meaning residents can arrive any time
during the window, and the town notice says the same information is shared at
both.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Even though the so-called Old Saybrook-Kenyon Bypass was never a serious threat, as I explain HERE, and died in 2017, the CCA has repeatedly attempted to revive this issue each election cycle. The CCA has always run on fear by raising up some demon, often imaginary, and presenting themselves as the only protection Charlestown has. Kind of Trumpian even before Trump emerged on the scene. I have also gotten a little Trumpy by calling this obsession the Charlestown Choo-Choo Hoax. - Will Collette
Anyone who needs interpretation, translated materials or accessibility accommodations must ask by Monday, Oct. 26, by emailing info@newhavenprovidencestudy.com, according to the notice.
What the study is
Amtrak announced the New Haven to Providence Capacity
Planning Study on July 7. In its release,
Amtrak said the study will look at ways to preserve and increase the frequency,
speed, reliability and resiliency of commuter and intercity rail between the
two cities. It will identify and evaluate new alignments, improvements to
existing lines, or both, define the capital investment needed, and produce a
final report.
The study's FAQ
says it "does not include a preconceived preferred alternative alignment
or set of improvements." It also does not include detailed engineering,
permitting, land acquisition, construction or NEPA review, the federal
environmental review required before major projects move forward. Amtrak's
release says any later improvements would need separate planning, design and
environmental permitting.
The study area is wider than the two endpoint cities.
According to the FAQ, it runs from New Haven east to New London, north to
Hartford and northeast to Providence. It covers Amtrak, CTrail Shore Line East,
the Hartford Line and MBTA Commuter Rail. Every alternative must start in New
Haven and end in Providence.
The FAQ describes the line between New Haven and Providence
as a primarily two-track railroad with little space left for added service, and
it says movable bridges and grade crossings constrain speed and capacity.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is a partner
on the study's agency advisory committee, alongside Connecticut DOT,
Massachusetts DOT and the MBTA, the Federal Railroad Administration and the
Northeast Corridor Commission. The FAQ says the work is funded by a Federal
Railroad Administration Federal-State Partnership grant with matching funds
from Amtrak. The study website says the work began in mid-2026 and will include
approximately 24 months of work.
Why Charlestown is watching
The study traces back to a 2017 federal decision. According
to the FAQ and an Amtrak letter, the 2017 NEC FUTURE Record of Decision removed
a proposed segment between Old Saybrook, Conn., and Kenyon, R.I., and
recommended this study instead.
Charlestown now has a seat in the process. In an Aug. 19
letter, Amtrak Executive Vice President Jennifer Mitchell invited Town
Administrator Jeff Allen to join the study's Public Advisory Committee. The
letter says the committee will have 10 to 15 members, meet quarterly over a
roughly two-year study and attend three rounds of open houses. It says Amtrak
drafted the candidate list with the Connecticut and Rhode Island transportation
departments.
In a message posted by the town, Allen said he was selected
for the committee and that its first meeting was scheduled for Oct. 14 in New
London, Conn. He wrote that the seat will help bring Charlestown's perspective
to the process and keep him informed.
The committee is advisory. The FAQ says it will provide
guidance and input on alternatives and recommendations, and that the study team
and its committees will aim to work on a consensus basis.
The Charlestown Citizens Alliance, a local advocacy group,
has warned that the new study could again consider a bypass-like route. Amtrak
says no preferred route has been chosen.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This marks the 5th straight election cycle where the CCA has attempted to drum up fear about this issue.
What residents can do
Registration links for both open houses are listed on the
town's notice. Residents can also comment, submit questions and sign up for
updates through the project website, newhavenprovidencestudy.com. The next
public step is the Wakefield open house on Nov. 4, with accommodation requests
due Oct. 26.
