Southeast CT Rail Bypass Proposal Withdrawn By FRA

HARTFORD, CT – The Federal Railroad Administration has dropped plans for a controversial new rail bypass between Old Saybrook and Kenyon, Rhode Island, from its planned overhaul of the railroad system in the Northeast corridor. The news was announced Wednesday, according to a release.

The Federal Railroad Administration’s controversial proposal had been met with strong opposition by both Connecticut lawmakers and local communities for a number of months. The FRA’s Record of Decision (ROD) for NEC FUTURE has confirmed they will withdraw the plan for the new bypass and improve current rail lines instead. (To sign up for free, local breaking news alerts from more than 100 Connecticut communities click here.)

“This is excellent news for our local communities," Senator Formica (Republican- East Lyme) said in a release. "The people of Southeastern Connecticut spoke up and made their voices heard loud and clear that this rail bypass would have deeply disrupted and hurt our communities. Learning that the federal government has withdrawn this plan in favor of other improvements is a testament to what we can accomplish when we join our voices together."

Alongside State Representative Devin Carney (Republican- Old Saybrook), Formica introduced legislation in opposition to the proposal that would have also prevented using any Connecticut dollars to fund the controversial plan.

See also: FRA Endorses Controversial Old Lyme Railroad Proposal

• Blumenthal, Others Threaten to Tie Selves to Tracks in Response to Old Lyme High-Speed Rail Proposal

“This fight has been going on for over a year-and-a-half and I am thrilled that the thousands of voices within the 23rd District and beyond were heard loud and clear.” Carney said in a release. “I want to thank all of the federal and state lawmakers, municipal leaders, non-profit groups and most importantly my constituents who worked with me and others to express our collective opposition to this proposal.”

Many in Southeastern Connecticut had huge concerns about the bypass, specifically whether the rail would have brought high speed trains through quiet neighborhoods like Old Lyme or even Olde Mistick Village, as reported by News 8. Though the FRA considered moving the project inward toward Old Saybrook, the new tracks could have disrupted or displaced homes and businesses.

“I am gratified to learn that the FRA has decided not to approve the Amtrak by-pass through Stonington and southeastern Connecticut," Stonington First Selectman Rob Simmons said in a release. "This proposal promised to destroy the communities we love, was outrageously expensive and would not provide significant improvement in service or speed to the travelling public."

Simmons also expressed hope the FRA and the State could now focus on what residents "really want," such as tilt-technology to improve train performance on curves and establishing reliable and affordable train service to Boston and New York.

“While we can all appreciate the desire to enhance transportation throughout our state, the Federal Railroad Administration’s initial proposal was deeply flawed and would have caused significant damage to local communities and economies throughout southeastern Connecticut,” State Senator Art Linares (Republican- Westbrook) said in a release. “It is incredible news to see that our efforts to speak up on this issue had a positive impact and resulted in action.”

The FRA had previously released a Tier I Final Environmental Impact Statement in December that listed the bypass rail among overall recommended improvements for the rail network between Boston and Washington, D.C., the New London Day reported.

The Record of Decision released Wednesday recommends including the replacement of the Connecticut River Bridge between Old Lyme and Old Saybrook as part of the FRA's efforts to modernize the Northeast Corridor.

Overall recommended improvements to the corridor are proposed to take place through 2040, according to the New London Day.

“I am thrilled to hear the news that that our strong advocacy against a bypass through Southeastern Connecticut has paid off,” Heather Somers (Republican- Groton) said in a release. “While expanding capacity to our rail line is important it should not be done at the expense of our peaceful shoreline towns and the families and businesses that reside in them. I applaud the Federal Railroad Administration for listening to the residents of Connecticut and for their response to our concerns about the proposed bypass system."

The Connecticut Fund for the Environment, alongside local community and historic preservation groups, had initially submitted comments to the FRA. The fund raised significant concerns over potential environmental impacts of the proposed rail bypass and the level of analysis.

“We applaud the Federal Railroad Administration for listening to and taking into consideration the grave concerns of local citizens,” Connecticut Fund for the Environment legal fellow Andrew W. Minikowski said in a release, “and look forward to the Administration’s collaboration with local governments to identify ways to bring high speed rail to Southeastern Connecticut while preserving ecological integrity and communities in the region.”

Back in September, Patch previously reported U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Democrat- Connecticut) and a pair of lawmakers promised to tie themselves to the tracks if the proposed rail route through the center of Old Lyme was approved in its then-current state.

“The [Federal Railroad Association’s] half-baked, harebrained proposals to reroute Amtrak through Old Lyme fail to reflect the priorities and needs of Old Lyme residents and those who work and live in surrounding shoreline communities,” Blumenthal said at the time.

At that time, more than 1,800 comments against the bypass were submitted during the plan's public comment period.

The full plan is now available on the NEC FUTURE website at www.necfuture.com.

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