Newport This Week

Will Rails Run Again From Newport to Boston?





Railroad enthusiasts envision a return of Newport to Boston train service.

Railroad enthusiasts envision a return of Newport to Boston train service.

Imagine a Friday afternoon train leaving Boston for Newport with returns on Saturday and Sunday, and Newport folks enjoying a relaxing trip to Boston without the traffic nightmare.

Old Colony Railway Operations Director John Doyle tells of a time when it happened twice a day or more.

From 1864 and half a century thereafter, delighted Newporters often took a splendid two-hour train ride from Newport to Boston, along the water and back again.

There are plans and dreams to make it happen again within a generation or so – first from Boston to Fall River, then from Fall River to Tiverton, then on to Aquidneck Island.

“Commuter rail to Fall River has moved beyond a dream. The timeconsuming permitting process is complete and preliminary engineering on the route has begun,” added Doyle.

During the first phases, he said, there will not be a connection between Newport and Fall River.

“However, throughout America, passenger rail is experiencing a renaissance,” said Doyle. “For instance, my son, who is a locomotive engineer on the commuter rail in Boston, was on the crew of the inaugural run of the Cape Flyer, which provides seasonal weekend service between Boston and Cape Cod. It has proven very popular.

“I am convinced that if we are successful in preserving the rail line into Newport, within three generations there could be a train connection,” he confided. “I can’t imagine Newport losing its allure as a destination, and congestion on our small island will only increase over time.”

The biggest challenge to such service, Doyle added to the voices of many, will be crossing the Sakonnet River.

“While still an expensive proposition, modern technology would allow for a much smaller span than the late behemoth of a bridge which served for a century,” said Doyle. “Such an undertaking would clearly involve federal funding and hard work by our congressional delegation, but it is a dream which would greatly enhance the livability of our beautiful island.

Outgoing state Rep. Peter Martin, a former railroad engineer for Old Colony, shares the dream, but not the optimism. “The advent of a train in the area is a long way off. Effectively, the rails are on state property. In order to bring a train into Newport, the Navy has to open two gates that the rail goes through on the Navy base. You have to have Navy personnel open those gates and then close them. The system is electric. Sometimes, they take 20 minutes to open,” said Martin.

“You will never be successful having trains come down on that track” until you solve this dilemma, he added.

Everett Stewart, a volunteer at Old Colony Railway and chairman of the Rhode Island Association of Railroad Passengers, said that while the Navy land issue is a concern, there might be ways around it.

“It would be an expensive proposition, but perhaps a bridge could be built or that section of rail could be fenced off from Navy land,” said Stewart. “The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has been very steadfast over the years keeping rail as a transportation option and the Navy is obligated to let trains pass, unless there is a national security crisis.”

According to Rose Amoros, spokesperson for RIDOT, the last study by her agency that examined potential passenger rail options on Aquidneck Island was conducted 12 years ago, in 2002.

“It is identified as a long-range project in the 2014 Rhode Island State Rail Plan. However, it has not been identified as a priority,” said Amoros. “As you might imagine, a project of this scale would not only require significant funding but also close coordination with the town and community in its design and implementation.”

Stewart takes the long view and says the future may come sooner than anyone realizes. “In the future, using rail as a basic mode of transportation seems possible, especially when the MBTA commuter rail arrives in Fall River. It might be seasonal service. Now, we don’t know how far down through Tiverton and onto Aquidneck Island it would go.

“The [Sakonnet] bridge would need an upgrade and it would be expensive, but folks we speak with see rail as a very functional entity down the road and an additional draw to tourism,” added Stewart. “In the long run, the railroad corridor is of great value and has merit.

Chuck Flippo, volunteer conductor for Old Colony Railway, said, “I think there would be enthusiasm for this idea among the island’s population. At public meetings on the future of transportation on the island held a couple of years ago, local attendees were strongly behind the idea of rail transit,” said Flippo. “Funding – especially for the new bridge that would be required – is the critical issue. As to who pays, I think RIDOT is in a better position to answer that than me.”

Stewart suggested that another futuristic option might be a combination of train and bicycle devel- opment. Others believe that a bike path along the present railroad tracks would be much more feasible than building or doubling the rail system.

“We fully support and endorse the development of an island bike path running parallel to the train tracks. Having an island bike path would be a huge boost for both residents and visitors,” said Evan Smith, President and CEO of Discover Newport. “The expenses to develop a bike path are within the current financial means of our state and local governments. This is a project that is within reach and should be prioritized for development.”

Smith observed that if an expanded railroad ever became a reality it could “significantly reduce vehicular traffic and air pollution.” While he supports the concept of light rail connecting Newport to Fall River “100 percent,” he doubts it will happen for many reasons.

“Historically speaking, this was the main link to Aquidneck Island. Having declared my full support, I doubt we will see this development in our lifetime for three reasons. First, the construction costs to develop a bridge over the Sakonnet River and install new track the length of the island would be too high for federal and state government budgets. The second reason is the high growth of residential home development abutting the tracks or near the tracks,” added Smith. “I believe it would be very hard to get consensus from residents of all three island towns to move forward with the project. There would be strong ‘not in my backyard’ pushback.

“The third hurdle would be access over the Navy land. Given the pressures of national security today, I think this will be a difficult negotiation,” he concluded.

Still, hope remains, and railroad devotees collectively dream they will live long enough to ride the rails to Boston one more time.

The State Rail Plan, created by Statewide Planning, can be viewed at www.planning.ri.gov/statewideplanning/ transportation/railplanning. php (specific details of the Aquidneck Island plan begin on page 117 of the PDF). You can find the 2002 Aquidneck Island Rail and Bike Path and the 2011 Aquidneck Island Planning Commission Transportation studies at www.dot.ri.gov/about/who/intermodal_ planning.php


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