Building work starts today on a new £120million railway station in America which is grandly named as an intermodal exchange.

But Amtrak inter-city passenger trains are not likely to stop there when the station opens even though it will be the nearest rail station to any airport in America.

The £50million costs of modifying trackwork and electrification equipment to allow Amtrak's high-speed Acela trains to stop at the new Warwick Intermodal Station on Rhode island is currently deemed too high.

When the station opens in 2009, it is hoped local trains from Boston will be extended beyond Providence to serve it.

However the National Association of Railroad Passengers strongly supports the intermodal station and is hoping that Amtrak trains will be able to serve the station as soon as possible.

NARP executive director Ross Capon said: "We salute all those who worked hard to make possible the funding of Warwick Intermodal Station.

"Europe is far ahead of the US in developing convenient connections between air and inter-city passenger rail, but the Warwick Intermodal Station represents a big step forward.
 
"Air-rail facilities are vital not just for people making air-rail connections, but also for Amtrak passengers renting cars. Car rentals are more important to Amtrak than to European railways because local transit connections are not as ubiquitous here as in Europe.
 
"Amtrak passengers often go to airports to rent cars because it's the airport rental agencies that are open when we need them, especially evenings and weekends.
 
"When the Warwick Intermodal Station is completed in a few years, its consolidated car rental facility actually will be slightly more convenient for train passengers than for air travelers!
 
"Since Providence is a logical railhead for many auto trips in New England, including destinations like Cape Cod, we are hopeful that Amtrak – and not just Boston area commuter trains – will stop here, if not when the facility first opens, then soon after."
 
The rail station will be linked to T F Green airport by a travelator.

Low-rate loans and road-building funds have been made available for the station project but the federal Department of Transport is still in negotiations with the Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority and Amtrak.

James Capaldi, director of the Department of Transportation said: "I believe we're going to see Amtrak wanting to stop here within 10 years, maybe five."

He said the station could then be retrofitted to accommodate Amtrak.

The department believes the huge project will be worthwhile even without Amtrak.

There will probably be eight departures from Boston to Warwick per day on weekdays, but no service on weekends.

Airport officials say the airlines are excited about the access it gives them. Airport spokeswoman Patti Goldstein said the station would be the closest rail access to an airport in the nation, and the airlines were keen to build up more business.

"They're very optimistic about the impact this could have on their customers," she said. "They're very excited about this."

Information from the Providence Journal www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20060716_train16.169f76a.html

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the National Association of Railroad Passengers email: narp at narprail.org website: narprail.org