NEC Future Tier One Environmental Impact Statement
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Many local leaders have expressed their opinions that the proposed high-speed Amtrak line through their towns would hurt everything from tourism to water quality. Local leaders from southeastern Connecticut called on state lawmakers to oppose the idea.
"The new rail bed would be devastating to my city," New London Mayor Michael Passero told the committee. The Federal Railroad Administration's proposal for a 30-mile inland rail line from Old Saybrook to Kenyon, R.I., has hit steady opposition in Connecticut since it surfaced about 14 months ago. Passero said that diverting passenger trains from the shoreline route would cut into much-needed foot traffic for downtown New London businesses and hurt the prospects of the national Coast Guard museum planned nearby. Building new tracks to the north would hurt existing businesses there and hit the city's tax base, he said.
"New London has begun to rebound. Investors and developers are finally beginning to grow the tax base," Passero said. "Having this ill-conceived proposal looming will negatively impact the city."
Please see link below for a copy of the letter sent by New London Main Street to the Federal Railroad Administration, voicing New London Main Streets concerns about this project.
