NARP Applauds Warwick Intermodal Station

Release #06-12—July 17, 2006

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Washington, D.C.—The National Association of Railroad Passengers issued the following statement in support of the Warwick (RI) Intermodal Station, for which a ceremonial groundbreaking will be held today at 1:00 p.m. in the long-term parking area at nearby T.F. Green Airport serving Providence. The station will be linked to the airport by moving sidewalks.
NARP Executive Director Ross B. Capon, who will attend the groundbreaking, said, “We salute all those who worked hard to make possible the funding of Warwick Intermodal Station. Special credit goes to former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Almond and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta.
“Europe is far ahead of the U.S. in developing convenient connections between air and intercity 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 MBTA commuter rail—will stop here, if not when the facility first opens, then soon after.”