Kingston Train Station Now Handicap Accessible: US Attorney

KINGSTON, RI — A $41 million project started in 2015 to improve the Kingston train station successfully brought the track 's platforms up to code, but the station itself still needed work, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The office investigated both the Kingston and the Westerly train stations after a complaint was filed in December 2016 with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. As a result, the state transportation department agreed to fix the problems and bring both locations into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Kingston is now up to code. Westerly still needs upgrades, which Amtrak is expected to make, the U.S. Attorney's office said Tuesday.

The Kingston station needed upgrades at the ticket counter and in the bathrooms, the office said. Westerly had a violation in one parking lot, which lacked accessible parking. That problem has been fixed. But chairlifts leading to the tunnels were not working. That repair is pending.

Courtesy Photo: The 2015 groundbreaking at Kingston station/ Rhode Island Department of Transportation