When you break ground on a rail link that will connect a community to Rhode Island's busiest airport and also to New England's two largest cities, that's good news. And when you create jobs in the process, that's good news.
Well that's exactly what happened in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, last Wednesday when Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff joined RI Gov. Donald L. Carcieri and US Senator Jack Reed to help break ground on the new Wickford Junction commuter rail station.
Supported in part by $4.4 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the station will connect area residents with the Warwick Intermodal Station at T. F. Green International Airport to the north and then to Providence and Boston. Trains from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority are expected to start pulling into the station next year.
"The Recovery Act is moving projects like this one from plans on the shelf to shovels in the ground," said Administrator Rogoff. "It's creating jobs now—precisely when we need them."
In addition to the construction jobs, this station also means better access to employment opportunities in the two largest cities in New England once the project is complete. Then there's all the activity the station itself will attract.
Senator Reed agrees that the new station will spur growth: "A good transportation system is usually the backbone of development in any place. This will be a focal point for economic development.”
FTA Administrator Rogoff addresses the crowd
Transportation officials have estimated the line will serve about 1,700 passengers a day, with 80% of them boarding at Wickford. The Rhode Island DOT said if ridership reaches that number, they don't expect any costs to the state.
Jobs now, jobs in the future. Self-sustaining, and a green alternative to I-95. That's good news.
This is great news and shows how important the ARRA has been to the country in its short existance. There are some who hate the ARRA and would like the economy to go into a double dip recession very soon to help with election chances this fall. But they will be disappointed. Projects like the one in this article are making sure workers have work and paychecks and there is important evidence that the economy is beginning to pick up steam in a more major way than before. There are now 1,000 new doublestack container railroad cars and 700 new covered hopper railroad cars on order. There are now more shipments of raw materials going into the countries factories than at any time in the past several years. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe's cold unit train has had orders for refregerator car service growing. And last week, the railroads had the largest movement of container cars since the economy went into free fall back in 2008 with container traffic now at or above where it was when the free fall started. The good news is someone is buying everything in every cargo container car, hopper car, box car, tank car, and refregerator car being shipped. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.
Posted by: Michael E. Bailey | August 29, 2010 at 09:25 PM