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Politics & Government

Federal Grants Will Help Build Line For Acela To Bypass Kingston Station

Resources awarded from high-speed funds that Florida rejected.

Transportation Grants that were announced by Rhode Island’s Federal Delegation will help Amtrak to secure funding to build a high-speed rail line in South Kingstown that will bypass the Kingston station, according to a press release issued by Congressman James Langevin earlier this week.

 The additional line would spare passengers from the shock of a high-speed train traveling through the station at a high rate of speed, as the above video portrays.  The lines will also allow the Acela train to stretch its legs, allowing it to reach 150 miles per hour as it speeds through South Kingstown.

Langevin (D-RI) and David Cicilline (D-RI) announced in the press release that the resources, which were made available when Florida Governor Rick Scott rejected high speed rail funding earlier this year, included $25 million for an additional 1.5 miles of a third track in South Kingstown that will be able to manage high-speed trains, and $3 million for renovation work at the Amtrak station in Providence.

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 “We should be leaving no stone unturned in pursuing ways to create jobs and these projects will have both immediate and long-term benefit for generating opportunities in Rhode Island,” said Langevin in the release. “We are seeing improvements, but we can and must accelerate them by focusing on areas that have the greatest impact, which is why Congressman Cicilline and I wrote to Secretary LaHood about the importance of investing these funds in the Northeast Corridor and, specifically, our state. These projects can bring immediate construction jobs and a better transportation system will be needed for the Ocean State to attract more business in the future.”

“After beating the drum for several years as the Mayor of Providence about the need to improve the efficiency of our region’s transportation network, I’m glad that together, our congressional delegation was able to help deliver $28 million in federal funding for high speed in Rhode Island. These resources come to our state at a critical time when our infrastructure has pressing needs and that’s why, earlier this year, Congressman Langevin and I made Secretary LaHood aware of the necessity of these funds in Rhode Island. Jim and I know these resources are an investment in job and economic opportunities for our region, will help reduce energy consumption and generate sustained economic activity.”

Find out what's happening in Narragansett-South Kingstownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood last month, Congressmen Cicilline and Langevin stated that their districts were ready to use the newly available funds to improve the speed and efficiency of passenger service in the Northeast Corridor.

The Congressmen said, “As the nation’s most densely populated transportation corridor, the Northeast Corridor has a well-established passenger infrastructure. However, that infrastructure is dated and overburdened. Federal investments could quickly be leveraged to improve mobility in a way that serves not just regional, but indeed national interests."

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