CT: Rhode Island eyes commuter rail connection to Connecticut

Resident Anthony Zeng, an entrepreneur who founded PourHommies, an online cosmetics retailer, goes to New York City every three or four weeks for a business meeting.

He takes an Amtrak train, which costs him about $78 roundtrip if bought six weeks in advance. But if he has to quickly book a train for an emergency meeting, the cost for a roundtrip ticket could be up to $300. He said the trains only arrive about every three hours.

Zeng is hoping to one day be able to hop on a Shore Line East train and then connect to a Metro-North train into the city, as a less expensive and more frequent option.

Zeng, who grew up in Westerly, said he is among the entrepreneurs and creatives who moved to southern Rhode Island and Mystic, Groton and Stonington during the COVID-19 pandemic and are seeking increased rail service as they now go into the office more often.

He is one of the people calling for an expansion of Shore Line East rail, which runs from New Haven to New London.

Momentum is growing in Rhode Island to advocate for the expansion of Shore Line East to Westerly, and eventually the expansion of commuter rail farther north. Rhode Island advocates, who are calling for a stronger partnership between Connecticut and Rhode Island, say expanding the rail line would boost economic development and provide more passengers for Shore Line East.

Connecticut legislators said the expansion is a goal, but they are fighting to restore service in Connecticut to pre-pandemic levels.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation has funded, but not yet started, a comprehensive rail plan to look at extending service to Westerly and north to Providence and west to Connecticut, said Communications Director Lisbeth Pettengill. The study will look at if there is a need and what people are seeking.

In 2023, an Eastern Connecticut Corridor Rail and Transit Feasibility Study analyzed the feasibility of extending Shore Line East to Westerly and Norwich, building new train stations in Groton and Stonington, and detailed the costs and process for a potential expansion.

State Sen. Christine Cohen, D- Guilford, a chairwoman of the Connecticut General Assembly's Transportation Committee, called Shore Line East a lifeline" for people in her district and across the state. She said continued restoration and ultimately expanding the service remains a priority.

“Unfortunately, with the uncertainty playing out at the federal level it is harder than ever to predict what this budget will look like," Cohen said. "We are facing cuts to Medicaid, public health, education and other essential services, and it is very possible that we will be forced to use our surplus to mitigate those effects instead of taking steps forward to make critical investments into our transportation infrastructure.”

Economic development, traffic

Shawn Lacey, the town manager of Westerly, which passed a resolution in support of bringing Shore Line East to Westerly, said it would benefit both the community and commuters, boost economic development and lessen traffic and wear-and-tear on bridges and roads.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) runs a commuter rail line from Massachusetts to Providence and T.F. Green Airport, with the Wickford Junction Station in North Kingstown, R.I., as the last stop. Electric Boat's Quonset Point facility is located in North Kingstown.

Lacey envisioned how extending commuter rail down from Wickford Junction to Westerly and extending Shore Line East to Westerly and potentially adding a train station in Groton would benefit the workforce. For example, EB employees could commute by train to near the Connecticut and Rhode Island facilities.

If employees can't find housing near work, they could take the train from farther away without any wear and tear on their cars, he said.

Trainees could commute to Westerly, which is home to the Westerly Education Center, a training facility, and then commute home or to EB, he said.

Electric Boat did not have a comment for this story.

Rhode Island state Sen. Victoria Gu, a Democrat who represents Westerly, Charleston and South Kingstown, said commuter rail would complement Amtrak's service, offer frequent, reliable and reasonably priced rail service and provide a new source of needed passengers for Shore Line East.

With EB growing at a fast rate, the extension also would help the submarine manufacturer and other employers access a talent base that lives farther away and allow residents better access to jobs, she said.

"I think it’s important for economic opportunity," she said.

Gu said momentum is growing in support of extending rail in Rhode Island, including through a letter-writing campaign with more than 700 letters in support. The campaign mentions that the Westerly train station is being considered "for an engineering/feasibility study of high-level platforms that would enable commuter rail and greatly improve access for people with disabilities," but support is needed. A feasibility study is included in the Northeast Corridor Commission’s five-year 2025-29 Capital Investment Plan.

Among the costs to extend rail, upgrades to the Westerly station would cost an estimated $19.2 million, according to the Connecticut study.

Gu said a partnership is needed between Rhode Island and Connecticut to extend commuter rail from Connecticut to Westerly and possibly beyond.

Susan Feaster, an Ivoryton resident and the founder of the Shore Line East Riders Advocacy Group, said if Connecticut and Rhode Island collaborate, they could seek special money, under a dual-state designation, from the federal government for the infrastructure.

Alex Berardo, the West Bay coordinator for the R.I. Association of Railroad Passengers, said to entice people to ride commuter rail, the service has to be frequent, reliable, affordable, and take people where they go.

He pointed to existing travel demand along the corridor between New London and Westerly. He said Westerly residents are commuting to Electric Boat, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and Mystic.

He said extending Shore Line East to Westerly could transform Shore Line East’s prospects for viability.

"The expansion of major employers like Electric Boat will drive significant growth in travel and housing demand in the coming years, and that creates a rare window of opportunity to give Shore Line East a renewed purpose," he said.

"With an eastward extension and a restoration of service frequency, Shore Line East could absorb some of the region’s increased travel and housing demand and channel it into sustainable, transit-oriented development patterns, which would help establish a cycle of ridership growth and resiliency," he added.

Stephen Bessette, who serves on the Stonington Economic Development Commission and is part of the Westerly Rail Advocacy group, said extending Shore Line East to Mystic and into Westerly, as well as possibly adding a stop in Groton, would alleviate traffic, help with parking issues for EB commuters, and boost economic viability by bringing visitors to the area and showing entities looking to invest in the community that there is a means for employees to get there.

Gu said there is also demand for extending commuter rail farther north, including from Connecticut residents who want to take the train to T.F. Green Airport.

Connecting communities

Doug Brockway, chairman of the Westerly Economic Development Commission and member of the Westerly Rail Advocacy group, sees extending rail as a way of boosting economic development and connecting communities from New Haven up to Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay.

He said momentum is growing in Rhode Island for expanding rail, as a result of advocacy, concerns over traffic, and the success of a new Pawtucket/Central Falls train station for MBTA service from Boston.

Brockway, who is retired, wants to take a train to visit Mystic, see a show at the Garde Arts Center in New London, make stops along the shoreline, and see family in Westchester County in New York. He finds driving on the crowded Interstate 95 to typically be an unpleasant and slow experience.

Westerly resident Adam Vocatura said that after college, he considered jobs in Westerly and New London since he had a split internship at Westerly Hospital and L+M Hospital in New London. While the New London option offered better hours, the thought of daily highway traffic was unappealing. He chose a position in Westerly to avoid the stress of a highway commute.

"If there had been a commuter rail option available, my decision-making process may have gone differently," he said.

Westerly resident Penny Parsekian, 79, said she can foresee a time where driving could become challenging for her and her peers. She would like to continue to go to New London for events and the Garde or to go to Providence, but I-95 is too congested and unpredictable.

She said commuter rail is important to reduce carbon emissions, which Connecticut and Rhode Island have committed to. She said she's happy younger generations would rather ride a bike or a scooter, or, if affordable, take mass transit.

"Owning a car is a big expense that many households can't afford," she said.

Connecticut legislators: a focus on restoring rail service

In Connecticut, S.B. 714, a bill to restore Shore Line East service to its pre-COVID-19 levels, passed out of the General Assembly's Transportation Committee. A bipartisan group of legislators, including from southeastern Connecticut, co-sponsored it.

State Rep. Greg Howard, R- Stonington, said the cost is estimated at about $34 million a year, but there is a revenue return. He said meals and occupancy taxes just on the Stonington side of Mystic generated $7.7 million in 2023. Shore Line East could bring more people to the area to add to that revenue, while also reducing traffic, parking issues and vehicle emissions.

State Sen. Cathy Osten, D- Sprague, said the southeastern Connecticut delegation wants to restore Shore Line East service to its pre-pandemic usage and then look at expanding usage in the Mystic area.

She said the delegation wants Shore Line East to extend to Rhode Island, but rail service has to first be built back up in Connecticut.

State Rep. Nick Menapace, D- East Lyme, said legislators are focused on fighting for funding for Shore Line East, but he thinks further expansion would benefit Electric Boat, the casinos and the local area.

"I think it would require investment, but I think it's absolutely one that would be hugely beneficial," he said.

State Rep. Dan Gaiewski, D- Groton, said he hears a lot of support from his constituents for the rail expansion, as a way to alleviate traffic issues and support the growing workforce at Electric Boat, the naval base and Pfizer increases.

State Sen. Heather Somers, R- Groton, said she would love to extend Shore Line East to Westerly, but the first priority is boosting service in Connecticut.

Somers said she introduced S.B. 22, which calls for summer weekend Shore Line East service between Mystic and New Haven. It would require negotiations with Amtrak to help offset congestion on the highway.

She said it's a balancing act in the legislature to get support for rail in eastern Connecticut, which is a less populated part of the state, especially during a tight budget year and with Shore Line East being the most heavily subsidized rail line in the country.

But she said she looks at population numbers differently, because Mystic, the number one tourist destination in the state, sees 1.8 million visitors each year.

Somers said that because Shore Line East currently does not provide consistent and regular stops, fewer people take it — and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. She said investing in the rail service would change that.

Jim Gildea, chairman of the Connecticut Public Transportation Council, said that after an additional $5 million was invested in the 2024 legislative session for four additional trains, ridership increased.

State Rep. Aundré Bumgardner, D- Groton, called extending Shore Line East to Groton, Mystic and Westerly "a strategic investment in southeastern Connecticut's future." He said EB and related industries are driving historic job growth and creating an urgent need for mixed-use housing, sustainable transportation alternatives, and regional connectivity.

"Expanding SLE rail access to the state line isn’t just about catching up — it’s about moving forward," he said. "It will help retain talent, ease highway congestion, and position our region as a national model for climate-smart, transit-oriented development. Southeastern Connecticut should no longer be treated as the end of the line — it’s where the next chapter of investment and innovation begins."

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