Rail to Westerly: A Status Brief
Connecticut has completed a feasibility study for extending Shore Line East (SLE) commuter rail from New London to Westerly, Rhode Island, but the proposal has not advanced into implementation. As Kimberly Drelich of The Day reported on October 25, no further steps have been taken since the study, because they would require significant funding and face permitting challenges. As Stonington First Selectman Bill Middleton and other leaders have noted, further progress will be largely a matter of political will.
Where we've been
The 2021 legislature directed and funded the roughly $2.3 million Eastern Connecticut Corridor Rail and Transit Feasibility Study (ECRTS), which CTDOT completed on November 30, 2023. The study found the extension technically feasible on existing Amtrak tracks: 12 weekday round trips, about 22–24 minutes each way, with new stations proposed in Groton, Mystic, Stonington Borough, and Westerly. The full buildout was estimated at $243.2 million, with roughly 159,300 new annual riders projected by 2035. The corridor work was folded into the 2022–2026 State Rail Plan, which the Federal Railroad Administration accepted in January 2023. CTDOT's study page describes any next steps as unfunded.
Delivered improvements on the existing line include electrification of New London's Track 6, providing greater operating flexibility, and four additional weekday trains added October 5, 2026 through a $3 million state appropriation, bringing SLE to 12 weekday round trips versus 18 before the pandemic.
Mystic sharpens the debate
Local officials and rail advocates argue that more frequent Mystic service could reduce car trips, ease downtown parking pressure, and support tourism — potential benefits, not demonstrated results. Amtrak currently stops about nine trains a day at Mystic, with 48,784 passenger trips in FY2025, and is evaluating expanded service there.
Rail advocate Alex Berardo proposes starting with limited visitor-oriented service using existing stations and CTDOT's older diesel equipment, citing a $4.5 million (in projected 2035 dollars) estimate for a Westerly turn track — distinct from the $243.2 million full-buildout estimate. That figure is not a complete service-launch budget: CTDOT spokeswoman Eva Zymaris notes that the older coaches are scheduled for replacement by equipment incompatible with low-level platforms, and that any extension requires Amtrak approval for train slots, additional crews and equipment, Coast Guard and state environmental approvals, and compliance with accessibility requirements.
What comes next
CTDOT is updating its State Rail Plan, with public comment having closed October 13, 2026 and the final document expected in winter 2027. Amtrak's New Haven–Providence Capacity Planning Study, launched in mid-2026 with CTDOT as a partner, is evaluating capacity on the shoreline segment. On the Rhode Island side, RIDOT's $7 million Westerly platform-improvement project appears in the FRA's 2026 Northeast Corridor project inventory. Feasibility work and improvements to the existing service have progressed, but the Westerly extension still needs funding and resolution of operating, accessibility, and approval requirements.
Editor's note: due to the complexity of the subject, Claude (Opus 4.6) assisted in research and summarizing