Rhode Island officials are working with their peers in Massachusetts and Connecticut to develop a plan for a commuter rail system that would link all three states, aiming to spur economic growth across the region.
“We are ideally positioned. Transportation has always been a key to our economy,” said Lt. Gov. Elizabeth H. Roberts, who this month participated in the Tri-State Transportation Conference, the first of its kind, along with senior elected leaders from Connecticut and representatives from the transportation and environmental advocacy communities.
The conference took place in Hartford on April 12, and it focused on connecting rail lines between cities in the three states. The organizer was the National Corridors Initiative, a Providence-based nonprofit that promotes infrastructure advancements – primarily in railways – for economic development and to protect the environment.
James RePass, the organization’s president and CEO, said between 125 and 150 people attended to discuss the New England Northeastern Infrastructure Initiative, a collaboration between leaders in government, business, academia and the environment.
Roberts said she found the discussion “very exciting” because of the different groups it brought together, and because it took a broad look at “what we need to do in terms of long-term regional economic growth, and how important transportation connections are to that economic growth.”
She said cost was not discussed in detail, but the event’s strength was that senior leaders recognized “that we need to think outside our borders in terms of our economic growth.”
At the meeting, Roberts said, it was fascinating to look at a regional map of existing rail lines that are underutilized – rail lines used for freight at night but not much else. She said the infrastructure is there, but the area just needs to creatively use it to enhance regional competitiveness.
“This is really about a transportation diamond,” she said, “which connects the Hartford area, New Haven and New York, with Providence, Boston – really looking at Worcester, really looking at this whole region.”
RePass said the idea behind the Infrastructure Initiative is to promote economic development “without paving over” the three states. “Adding more roads is not the solution. We’ve been there, done that.”
Redeveloping existing – and sometimes neglected – railways could re-create a strong transportation infrastructure, he said, making the region more economically competitive. RePass said this regional railway would reduce the travel time between cities, which would make for an easier commute.
Even though there is already regular Amtrak service that connects Boston to Providence and New Haven, Roberts noted, rail service could be enhanced with more east-west trains on routes such as Hartford-Providence, changing the railway from a single artery to a network of connections in urban New England areas.
As far as Rhode Island’s part in the railway plans, RePass said it is the “fulcrum” of this regional rail, and it is crucial to the plans. “In Rhode Island, if you throw a rock a long distance you’re dealing with an interstate issue,” he said.
Along with Roberts, participants in the conference included Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, and Connecticut Senate President Don Williams and House Speaker Jim Amman. Christopher F. “Kip” Bergstrom, executive director of the R.I. Economic Policy Council, also attended.
Rhode Island officials are working with their peers in Massachusetts and Connecticut to develop a plan for a commuter rail system that would link all three states, aiming to spur economic growth across the region.
“We are ideally positioned. Transportation has always been a key to our economy,” said Lt. Gov. Elizabeth H. Roberts, who this month participated in the Tri-State Transportation Conference, the first of its kind, along with senior elected leaders from Connecticut and representatives from the transportation and environmental advocacy communities.
The conference took place in Hartford on April 12, and it focused on connecting rail lines between cities in the three states. The organizer was the National Corridors Initiative, a Providence-based nonprofit that promotes infrastructure advancements – primarily in railways – for economic development and to protect the environment.
James RePass, the organization’s president and CEO, said between 125 and 150 people attended to discuss the New England Northeastern Infrastructure Initiative, a collaboration between leaders in government, business, academia and the environment.
Roberts said she found the discussion “very exciting” because of the different groups it brought together, and because it took a broad look at “what we need to do in terms of long-term regional economic growth, and how important transportation connections are to that economic growth.”
She said cost was not discussed in detail, but the event’s strength was that senior leaders recognized “that we need to think outside our borders in terms of our economic growth.”
At the meeting, Roberts said, it was fascinating to look at a regional map of existing rail lines that are underutilized – rail lines used for freight at night but not much else. She said the infrastructure is there, but the area just needs to creatively use it to enhance regional competitiveness.
“This is really about a transportation diamond,” she said, “which connects the Hartford area, New Haven and New York, with Providence, Boston – really looking at Worcester, really looking at this whole region.”
RePass said the idea behind the Infrastructure Initiative is to promote economic development “without paving over” the three states. “Adding more roads is not the solution. We’ve been there, done that.”
Redeveloping existing – and sometimes neglected – railways could re-create a strong transportation infrastructure, he said, making the region more economically competitive. RePass said this regional railway would reduce the travel time between cities, which would make for an easier commute.
Even though there is already regular Amtrak service that connects Boston to Providence and New Haven, Roberts noted, rail service could be enhanced with more east-west trains on routes such as Hartford-Providence, changing the railway from a single artery to a network of connections in urban New England areas.
As far as Rhode Island’s part in the railway plans, RePass said it is the “fulcrum” of this regional rail, and it is crucial to the plans. “In Rhode Island, if you throw a rock a long distance you’re dealing with an interstate issue,” he said.
Along with Roberts, participants in the conference included Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, and Connecticut Senate President Don Williams and House Speaker Jim Amman. Christopher F. “Kip” Bergstrom, executive director of the R.I. Economic Policy Council, also attended.
Rhode Island officials are working with their peers in Massachusetts and Connecticut to develop a plan for a commuter rail system that would link all three states, aiming to spur economic growth across the region.
“We are ideally positioned. Transportation has always been a key to our economy,” said Lt. Gov. Elizabeth H. Roberts, who this month participated in the Tri-State Transportation Conference, the first of its kind, along with senior elected leaders from Connecticut and representatives from the transportation and environmental advocacy communities.
The conference took place in Hartford on April 12, and it focused on connecting rail lines between cities in the three states. The organizer was the National Corridors Initiative, a Providence-based nonprofit that promotes infrastructure advancements – primarily in railways – for economic development and to protect the environment.
James RePass, the organization’s president and CEO, said between 125 and 150 people attended to discuss the New England Northeastern Infrastructure Initiative, a collaboration between leaders in government, business, academia and the environment.
Roberts said she found the discussion “very exciting” because of the different groups it brought together, and because it took a broad look at “what we need to do in terms of long-term regional economic growth, and how important transportation connections are to that economic growth.”
She said cost was not discussed in detail, but the event’s strength was that senior leaders recognized “that we need to think outside our borders in terms of our economic growth.”
At the meeting, Roberts said, it was fascinating to look at a regional map of existing rail lines that are underutilized – rail lines used for freight at night but not much else. She said the infrastructure is there, but the area just needs to creatively use it to enhance regional competitiveness.
“This is really about a transportation diamond,” she said, “which connects the Hartford area, New Haven and New York, with Providence, Boston – really looking at Worcester, really looking at this whole region.”
RePass said the idea behind the Infrastructure Initiative is to promote economic development “without paving over” the three states. “Adding more roads is not the solution. We’ve been there, done that.”
Redeveloping existing – and sometimes neglected – railways could re-create a strong transportation infrastructure, he said, making the region more economically competitive. RePass said this regional railway would reduce the travel time between cities, which would make for an easier commute.
Even though there is already regular Amtrak service that connects Boston to Providence and New Haven, Roberts noted, rail service could be enhanced with more east-west trains on routes such as Hartford-Providence, changing the railway from a single artery to a network of connections in urban New England areas.
As far as Rhode Island’s part in the railway plans, RePass said it is the “fulcrum” of this regional rail, and it is crucial to the plans. “In Rhode Island, if you throw a rock a long distance you’re dealing with an interstate issue,” he said.
Along with Roberts, participants in the conference included Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, and Connecticut Senate President Don Williams and House Speaker Jim Amman. Christopher F. “Kip” Bergstrom, executive director of the R.I. Economic Policy Council, also attended.
