By in Rhode Island’s Future
Most folks know that rail travel is a relatively efficient
way to travel. Indeed, Federal energy statistics indicate per passenger mile,
airplanes use about 21 percent more energy and cars about 27 percent more.
Rail’s advantage is even higher for our Amtrak service on the
Northeast Corridor which is already fully electrified.
Less well known is how much rail service we already have. How
many trains a day do you think we have between Providence and New York?
Between Providence and Boston? Answers below.
Yet we are facing
many rail passenger issues, e.g. the proposed Pawtucket-Central Falls
commuter station, Kingston station projects, the issue of low
passenger use of Wickford Junction, the proposed Providence train station
bus hub, MBTA-RIPTA coordination, and more.
Another issue is that Trump has in effect proposed
eliminating Amtrak (though note it is now safe for the rest of this
fiscal year.)
Though he did not target the northeast corridor, his
proposed elimination of the national network would hurt the corridor through
loss of passengers making connections, reduced economy of scale, and most
importantly, loss of federal help from the politics of the bulk of states not
getting any service.
Some Rhode Islanders are
focused on a Federal Railroad Administration suggestion, as part of a plan to
speed up trains and enhance capacity in the Northeast Corridor, to build
bypasses in southern RI and CT.
While some of these do seem
unnecessary, expensive, and possibly destructive, I cannot see the remotest
chance the bypasses can be financed anytime in the foreseeable future.
Those concerned with the
environment and climate change should be fighting a different battle, the
battle to preserve intercity rail service, especially here where Amtrak service
is electrified and our position on the corridor is an economic advantage.
By the way, each weekday
we have about 39 trains each way to Boston, 19 to New York.
Barry Schiller served on the Board of the Transit Authority
1995-99. He can be reached at bschiller@localnet.com.