STONINGTON – If an expected packed house tomorrow at a rail forum hosted by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation is any indication, local residents want more rail service. And the prospect of extending the state’s Shore Line East commuter rail to the Westerly Station excites many residents who seek alternative options to traffic and parking hassles.
On Wednesday, a public forum hosted the Rhode Island Department of Transportation is expected to draw a packed house from 6-7:30 p.m. to the Westerly Public Library Auditorium. By Monday, the number of expected attendees had already reached the auditorium’s seating capacity, a sign that the project is of keen interest to residents on both sides of the state border.
An additional public listening session is planned for 6 p.m. on Thursday to accommodate the overflow and interest.
It’s the first public outreach meeting on improving rail service to Westerly — which could include extending Shore Line East Service from New London, and increasing service by Amtrak, which now stops in Westerly five times daily.
“I think it would be fantastic,” said Stonington First Selectman Bill Middleton of extending the commuter rail. “It would reduce traffic and parking and give people alternatives. There is a perception of Mystic that there’s lots of traffic, and I think that has started to sort of inhibit things. I think if you can get people there without cars, it’s a big win,” Middleton said.
Westerly residents, including Penny Parsekian, a founding member of the group Westerly Rail Advocates, are also excited by the prospect of connecting Westerly with Stonington and nearby towns. Parsekian and her husband moved to Westerly in 2017 to live in a walkable downtown.
“The Amtrak station was a real bonus, but the frequency of trains makes it a little challenging,” said Parsekian, adding that “to have commuter rail would be a whole new ball game.” Parsekian, who turns 80 in January, values easy access to cultural activities in walkable cities such as Mystic, New London and New Haven without driving.
“Our cohort has disposable income, and we would like to get to theaters, exhibits, and other cultural activities without using the car. It would really bolster the economy of Southeastern New England to offer this.”
Raised Platforms
Commuter rail currently can’t stop in Westerly because the station lacks raised platforms needed for streamlined boarding. The station was completed in 1913 and designed under Spanish Colonial revival architectural style.
Earlier this year the Westerly Station platform upgrade project was added to Rhode Island’s transportation improvement program, making it eligible for federal funding. The program was also included in Rhode Island’s latest Long-Range Transportation Plan, that provides a guideline for the state’s transportation improvement program.
“These plans are only updated once every four and five years, respectively, so we were fortunate to have a once-every-20-years opportunity this year to advocate for the project’s inclusion in both plans,” said Alex Berardo a Westerly resident and vice chairman of the R.I. Association of Rail Passengers, an advocacy group for better rail service in New England.
Stephen Bessette, a member of Stonington’s Economic Development Commission, will attend the meeting representing the commission.
“The significance is for them to hear from the community that it’s more than just five or 10 people who are promoting this, and that it is a community-based effort and that there is a desire to have the station improved to meet the ongoing transportation build-out for the future,” said Bessette.