The Wickford Junction/North Kingstown Station, located in US Rhode Island will receive an additional $13.6 million New Starts grant to extend existing commuter rail service from Providence to Boston starting in 2012. The state had previously received $4.4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars for use toward rail projects.
"The Recovery Act is moving projects like this one from plans on the shelf to shovels in the ground," said Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff.
Administrator Rogoff also announced a milestone for another project being planned on the Providence to Boston commuter rail line. The Pawtucket Station project was recently approved to begin preliminary engineering. The project involves building a rail station north of Providence and will augment existing service. The Pawtucket Station, expected to cost $53.9 million, is also being considered for a total of $24.9 million in federal New Starts funding.
The projects are part of the South County Commuter Rail Project, a 20-mile rail extension along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor from Providence to the South County Region sponsored and managed by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.
The Federal Transit Administration's New Starts program provides federal funding for locally planned and implemented transit projects, including commuter rail, light rail, heavy rail, bus rapid transit, streetcars, and ferries.