Charlestown residents oppose plan to realign Northeast train tracks

In this Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016 photo, an Amtrak Acela train travels through Old Lyme, Conn. A plan to speed up Amtrak's high-speed rail corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C., is welcomed by business commuters but finding its strongest opposition in some shoreline towns in Connecticut. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
In this Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016 photo, an Amtrak Acela train travels through Old Lyme, Conn. A plan to speed up Amtrak’s high-speed rail corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C., is welcomed by business commuters but finding its strongest opposition in some shoreline towns in Connecticut. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

CHARLESTOWN, R.I. (AP) — Residents in a Rhode Island town are at odds with a plan to realign train tracks to eliminate speed-restricting curves on Amtrak’s busy Northeast Corridor.

The Federal Railroad Administration’s plan seeks to rebuild the congested Northeast Corridor over the next 30 years by shoring up crumbling infrastructure, running more trains and building new tracks. One proposal would build a straighter segment for high-speed travel between Old Lyme, Connecticut, and southwest Rhode Island.

Charlestown residents voiced their opposition to the plan at a public meeting Tuesday night. The Town Council read a resolution saying the rerouted tracks could destroy dozens of private homes and harm open space that has been preserved.

The deadline for affected communities to respond to the Railroad Administration’s environmental impact statement is Jan. 31.

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