Federal Railroad Administration Responds To Some Of Charlestown’s Questions

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Since July 2021, when the The Northeast Corridor Commission released Connect NEC 2035, a 15-year development plan and planning process for the Northeast Rail Corridor, Charlestown’s Town Administrator has written to the Federal Railroad Administration several times asking for information.

Now seven months later, Charlestown has finally gotten a reply from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), but not a lot of answers.

Below are Charlestown’s questions in bold and answers where they are provided by FRA letter or recently by RI DOT:

  1. When does the review of the new Planning/Design for High-Speed Segments begin, or has it already started?
    • Not a direct response to this question, but they do say that Amtrak will be leading a Market Study examining market demands for enhanced intercity and commuter rail services and which will include a public outreach component. According to RI DOT that is expected to begin in May.
  2. What is the proposed time frame to complete the study?
    • FRA says the timing and scope of this Market Study will be determined by Amtrak working with the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut. In earlier communications from RI DOT they have said this market study will take about one year.
  3. Will the study include a full National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) study and a study of the impact on areas of special environmental concern?
    • There was no response to this question.
  4. What Federal, State, Local and other agencies are or will be involved in the decision-making process?
    • “The Connecticut Department of Transportation, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, Amtrak, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the Northeast Corridor Commission.” Charlestown is not included, but has sought representation through RI DOT.
  5. What is the process by which the Town of Charlestown becomes part of and/or included in these discussions in a meaningful, official way?
    • “FRA encourages the Town of Charlestown to contact Amtrak and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation for further information about the Market Study.” Charlestown has already done that and has learned that a Public Advisory Committee is planned and RI DOT has submitted the Town of Charlestown as a participant.
  6. Can the FRA provide additional information on this newest iteration such as GIS Maps, studies, and external/internal communications?
    • There was no response to this question.

Full text of letter from Federal Railroad Administration below:



Visit The Railroad Page To Learn More About Past Work To Stop The Bypass