The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is scheduled to finish a preliminary design and environmental study by the end of this year to give Warwick with Amtrak service.

Presently, the Warwick station that was built as part of the Interlink project connecting Green Airport with a rental car garage is served by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA), as part of the Providence/Stoughton Line.

The study is being conducted alongside Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) and the City of Warwick. .

According to RIDOT spokesman Charles St. Martin, RIDOT is working on the final draft, which is on track to be released before the end of the year. Following the release, St. Martin said the plan would be shared with stakeholders for further review, and then next steps for the project would be determined.

Should the project move forward, RIDOT projects the project to cost approximately $240 million. The year-long study is funded by a $2.8 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant and $700,000 in state money.

According to RIDOT’s website, the Warwick station was built in such a way to allow for potential Amtrak service in the future. In order to make the station feasible for Amtrak service, the station would need to construct a second platform on the east side of the tracks and electrified tracks, and would likely need to upgrade the existing platform as well.

In a statement to the Beacon, Amtrak Northeast spokesperson Jen Flanagan said “Data has shown overwhelming support for passenger rail in America, especially within the Northeast Corridor (NEC) where ridership and demand continues to grow. Amtrak supports ongoing rail investment throughout the country, including modernizing critical infrastructure and expanding service for future ridership growth. Amtrak is supporting efforts by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to evaluate the possible expansion of T.F. Green Airport station and looks forward to continuing to work with the state on this and other initiatives.”

Flanagan cited a survey conducted by Amtrak in August, in which 92% of respondents saying that it’s important that the U.S. invests in rail safety and service improvements and 81% of respondents favoring investments in passenger rail in their local communities.

Additionally, Flanagan said that Amtrak saw a benefit in the station’s proximity to Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport. Should Amtrak start serving the station, it would become the third Amtrak station in the Northeast Corridor within a short distance of an international airport, joining the BWI (Baltimore-Washington International) station in Maryland and the Newark Airport station in New Jersey.

Ground was broken on the Warwick/T.F. Green Station in July of 2006, and the station officially opened in December of 2010.

Amtrak makes stops at Providence, Kingston and Westerly.  In addition to the airport, MBTA makes stops at Pawtucket/Central Falls and Wickford stations.