By Associated Press - Wednesday, January 25, 2017

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo said Wednesday she opposes federal plans for a new Amtrak bypass route for high-speed trains traveling from coastal eastern Connecticut into Rhode Island.

The Democrat made the announcement after meeting at the State House with town leaders and state legislators who represent communities in southwest Rhode Island.

Federal railroad regulators last month unveiled a plan to upgrade Amtrak’s Washington-to-Boston Northeast Corridor during the coming decades by upgrading outdated bridges and tunnels, running more trains and building new tracks allowing higher speeds. One recommendation would speed up southern New England travel by creating a straighter 40-mile bypass route for high-speed trains from Old Lyme, Connecticut to the village of Kenyon, Rhode Island.

The plan has received vociferous opposition along the eastern Connecticut shoreline and among Connecticut politicians for more than a year but received less attention in Rhode Island, where some town leaders say they only recently learned the bypass would course through open space, farmland and residential areas. The town of Westerly even chartered a bus Wednesday to ship protesters on the 45-mile ride to the State House to voice their concerns.

Officials from the Federal Railroad Administration have repeatedly said the proposals are just recommendations and would need support from states, cities and the new presidential administration to move forward.

For months, Rhode Island’s Providence-based leaders’ biggest concern was making sure Amtrak’s new high-speed line didn’t skip over the state capital.

Raimondo said she is “pleased that Providence is included as a major hub of the line, which promises to have a significant positive impact on the state’s quality of life and our economy. Increasing connectivity and cutting down travel times to New York and Boston will make it easier for businesses to grow here in Rhode Island.”

But she also said she shares concerns of town leaders in Charlestown and nearby communities “about quality of life implications, environmental threats and historic preservation.” She said she can’t support the bypass unless those are resolved.

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