CRISI grant to explore Amtrak stop at T.F. Green Airport

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded a $2.8 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to further plan an Amtrak connection at Warwick's T.F. Green Airport.

The airport is currently served by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) commuter line, which also connects Boston to Providence, R.I. Amtrak currently stops in Providence, Kingston and Westerly, R.I. Proponents of the project say an Amtrak stop at T.F. Green Airport could position the state to attract new investment, create jobs, and enhance transportation options for Rhode Islanders, commuters and visitors to the state.

“Bringing Amtrak service directly to T.F. Green could help make the airport more accessible and better connect Rhode Islanders to opportunities and transportation choices. I will continue to support the state’s efforts at the federal level and work to ensure that any plan to move forward is undertaken in a smart, cost-effective manner that builds on the significant investments we have already made,” said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI).

The new CRISI grant will help RIDOT undertake a comprehensive review of track and signal improvements that would be required, along with operating costs needed to expand service to T.F. Green.

“Bringing Amtrak to our airport and strengthening the link between multiple modes of transportation there will have a positive impact on Rhode Island’s economy and will be an important factor in further developing T. F. Green Airport’s great potential. RIDOT is looking forward to working with our partner Amtrak to make these improvements a reality,” said RIDOT Director Peter Alviti.

"Senator Reed and the entire federal delegation continue to be true advocates for infrastructure investments at and around the airport," said Iftikhar Ahmad, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation. "This investment will help drive our passenger census at T.F. Green, which in turn will help spur Rhode Island's economy."

In 2017, RIDOT and Amtrak in partnership with FRA, performed a feasibility study looking at establishing Amtrak service at T.F. Green. The study was included in FY16 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill that required analysis of bringing intercity passenger rail service to commercial airports adjacent to the Northeast Corridor. 

The 2017 study looked at four scenarios and provided a framework for business and policy decisions, but did not go as far as assigning responsibilities for infrastructure improvement costs and operating subsidy requirements associated with the scenarios. The feasibility study noted that bringing a regular Amtrak stop to the airport would require upgrades at T.F. Green Station in order to allow Amtrak’s regional trains to stop there and to accommodate freight, commuter and high-speed trains that also operate along that route.

This new CRISI grant will allow RIDOT, in partnership with Amtrak, to advance the initiative and support preliminary engineering and environmental review work on a new Amtrak stop at the existing T.F. Green commuter rail station.

This is the second CRISI grant that will benefit Amtrak. An effort to restore Amtrak service along the Gulf Coast was also awarded a $33 million CRISI grant in this round of funding.