Station project to link MBTA to R.I. airport
By Robert Preer, Globe Correspondent | July 18, 2006
WARWICK, R.I. -- A ceremonial groundbreaking yesterday marked the start of work on a new train station that will be within walking distance of the T.F. Green Airport terminal here.
The $222.5 million facility, scheduled to open in 2009, will mean travelers from Boston and Providence will be able to take trains directly to the increasingly popular airport. The trains are to be operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, as an extension of the Attleboro-Providence commuter rail line from Boston's South Station.
The Warwick station will be about 1,500 feet from the airline ticket counters and will be connected by a skyway with moving sidewalks.
It would be the closest rail station to an airport in the United States, Rhode Island airport officials said. Acting US Transportation Secretary Maria Cino, who participated in the groundbreaking, hailed the plan as a breakthrough in connecting different forms of transportation.
``Cities across America should take notice of how the state is addressing transportation in this integrated and innovative approach," Cino said.
A parking garage will have 1,000 spaces for MBTA commuters. Missing from the station, though, are facilities for Amtrak trains, which will run right past the station.
Rhode Island and Amtrak officials could not reach an agreement on building a new track at the station for the Acela and Metroliner trains. Accommodating Amtrak would have added tens of millions of dollars to the project's cost.
Mark Brewer, president of the Rhode Island Airport Corp., voiced optimism that Amtrak would find a way to connect to the station once the facility is completed.
The MBTA has agreed in principle to extend its service to Green Airport, but has not yet signed a detailed contract with Rhode Island officials, according to T spokesman Joe Pesaturo.
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