MBTA Considers Extending RI Rail Line

The MBTA board of directors is scheduled to vote on a contract that would extend commuter rail service in Rhode Island to T.F. Green Airport in Warwick and South Kingstown.

If approved at Thursday's Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the extension of the agency's South Station to Providence line would start operating in 2011 and potentially give Massachusetts travelers an option to Logan International Airport in Boston.

The Boston Globe reports that Rhode Island is spending $336 million to upgrade existing tracks owned by Amtrak and to build two new stations and related facilities.

Charles St. Martin, a spokesman for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, says the extension would give state residents another commuting option.