Pawtucket, Central Falls get funding for commuter rail station
By News Staff
Pawtucket and Central Falls are getting federal money to help build their new commuter rail station.
Rhode Island won $13.1 million in Federal TIGER Grant money for RIDOT to expand rail service to the two cities.
RIDOT will work with the MBTA to provide service at the station so commuters can connect to Wickford Junction, T.F. Green Airport, Providence, and other stops up to Boston’s South Station.
The new commuter rail station is scheduled to be built between Dexter and Conant Streets for about $40 million. Pawtucket and Central Falls will provide a local match of $3 million, with the state contributing the additional money. About $18.9 million in federal funding will go to the state in annual appropriations.
The two cities have been trying to restore rail service to the area since it stopped there in 1981.
The TIGER grant program is designed to fund projects that are difficult to fund but have a significant impact on certain areas. This award marks over $88 million in TIGER funds that Rhode Island has received to upgrade highways, ports, and public transit.
© WLNE-TV 2016
