It has been slow to arrive, but high speed rail could be coming
North Atlantic Rail
The North Atlantic Rail project will include a tunnel under Long Island Sound through New Haven to Hartford, create a new line from Hartford to Providence, RI (½ hour travel time), and connect multiple mid-sized cities, including new service from Springfield, MA to Brattleboro, VT & Keene, NH. It would also include extended new service from Danbury, CT to Pittsfield, MA.
In 2016, federal officials unveiled a plan for high-speed rail along the Northeast Corridor that included a 50-mile passage from Old Saybrook to the village of Kenyon, R.I.