A fast track to ruin? Amtrak opponents fear high-speed plans

(AP) — This quaint shoreline community, proud of its role as a nursery of American Impressionist art, fears the destruction of its heritage if a federal proposal to someday run an East Coast high-speed rail line through its historic center becomes reality.

The proposal includes a bypass between Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and Richmond, Rhode Island, that would run new high-speed Amtrak trains — in some places, on elevated tracks — through historic neighborhoods, an arts college, marshlands, commercial districts and tourist attractions, including the Florence Griswold Museum.

A ship captain's daughter, Florence Griswold ran a boarding house for artists who wanted to escape the city and paint "en plein air," a style that originated in France and highlights the luminous effects of natural light.

The proposed Northeast Corridor Future plan marks the first time since 1978 that federal officials have proposed a new blueprint for prioritizing improvements along the nearly 500-mile-long rail transportation spine for the Northeast.

Advocates contend the rail corridor faces serious challenges, with its century-old infrastructure, outdated technology and insufficient capacity to meet ridership demands.

After the railroad administration releases its "preferred alternative route," more detailed environmental reviews will likely follow.

Details are unclear, but it appears the proposed line would cut across historic Lyme Street, described on the town's website as "a study in American Colonial architecture," with grand homes, boutiques, antique shops, an ice cream parlor and the arts college.