When asked if they’d made progress on electric locomotives, an express route or other ways to speed up the Providence/Boston commute, Baker said, “Yeah, there is work being done on that issue.”

Raimondo, Baker and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont met for lunch at Rhode Island College, marking the second of three planned summits between what Lamont called the “three amigos.”

PROVIDENCE -- During a joint appearance Thursday, Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo displayed far more urgency than Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker about plans to improve rail service between Providence and Boston .

But, he cautioned, “It’s a four-way play. You have to remember that Amtrak has a lot to say about what happens here, and so do a bunch of the folks in southeastern Massachusetts.”


Baker stopped there. So Raimondo jumped in, noting the three governors had discussed transit improvements during their July meeting in Connecticut.

“Since then, our Cabinet secretaries have met, our teams have met, we have been in touch with Amtrak,” Raimondo said. “It continues to be one of my top priorities.”

She said Baker is doing all he can to reduce traffic congestion in his state. In August, Baker’s administration acknowledged Boston-area traffic jams have reached a “tipping point” and signaled support for new tools to battle congestion.

“We have made a good deal of progress on the staff level,” Raimondo said. “There is a lot to be worked through, and we are going to stick with it.”

Baker was asked how southeastern Massachusetts factored into the conversation about Providence/Boston train service.

“Southeastern Mass wants to make sure they don’t get lost in a trip that goes from Providence to Boston,” he replied. “All the people who are in between the endpoints worry a lot when people start talking about commuter express routes because they also have commuters who are interested in finding their way to wherever it is they are going.”


After appearing with Baker and Lamont, Raimondo fielded questions from Rhode Island reporters and conceded that it had sounded like there has not been much progress since July on getting faster rail service between Providence and Boston.

“But there has been,” Raimondo said. “Since the last meeting, we got our transportation secretaries together, we have had joint meetings with Amtrak, we are looking at how we would procure train sets. So, in fact, there has been a lot of work that has happened.”

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation commissioned a preliminary economic impact study to gauge the impact of speedier, more frequent rail service between Providence and Boston. The study found better rail service would create an estimated 1,195 to 2,035 jobs over the next decade in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Transit experts have said the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority could slash the trip time between Providence and Boston if it replaced its old, unreliable diesel trains with electric trains and raised all station platforms so that no time is wasted as passengers climb stairs.

Unlike other MBTA train tracks, the Providence-to-Boston line already has the overhead electrical wires needed to power electric trains. Amtrak uses electric trains, and advocates want the MBTA to follow suit — first with electric locomotives pulling train cars, and eventually with self-propelled electric train cars.

The tracks are owned by the MBTA in Massachusetts and by Amtrak in Rhode Island, and both would have to be on board with any changes.


The MBTA has said it is exploring the possibility of obtaining some electric locomotives to operate on the Providence Line as part of a pilot program.

When asked for an update on Thursday, MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the MBTA has initiated talks with Amtrak about the cost of leasing locomotives and paying for electricity as part of a pilot program. Once those costs are clear, the MBTA will “develop a proposed allocation of costs with Rhode Island,” he said.

Also, the MBTA must address train scheduling and capacity, Pesaturo said. “The MBTA must ensure it has a sufficient number of coaches to maintain regularly scheduled service while attempting to identify slots within the existing peak commuting periods for so-called express trains,” he said.

The next meeting between the three governors will take place in a few months in Massachusetts.

Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @FitzProv.