Stonington ― A feasibility study on the expansion of Shore Line East into Westerly may identify the creation of a new passenger train station in the borough, where there is little land to place such a facility.

But there is confusion among local officials about whether locating a station in the actual borough is the intent of the state Department of Transportation, which plans to release the preliminary findings of the feasibility study early next year.

It’s expected that proposed locations will be identified at that time, according to the DOT.

When asked about possible locations in the borough, DOT spokesperson Shannon King Burnham wrote by email Wednesday that in the feasibility phase, “the study identifies two to three locations in each station area zone covering the town and boroughs of Stonington (Stonington and Mystic). After the preliminary phase of the study, these locations will be narrowed down and refined further.”

This week, Borough Warden Jeff Callahan said, “this is a matter of some confusion,” when asked about the reference to a borough station.

“There’s no place in the borough that you could fit a train station. The people who are involved in the study acknowledge that,” he said.

“Apparently, the problem is that whoever wrote the legislation that funded the study for the state, for some reason said the Borough of Stonington not Stonington, so they have to keep saying the Borough of Stonington, even though it’s pretty obvious it’s not a possibility,” he explained.

He said the study would eventually determine that the borough was not feasible, but they would find a site in the town of Stonington because the study is focusing on the entire region from New London eastward.

He said that he had spoken with First Selectman Danielle Chesebrough regarding sites that made sense but demurred when asked whether any specific sites had been named.

“I’m content to let the study people do their study, and I’m sure they’ll come up with a reasonable location,” Callahan said.

But Chesebrough said that “one of the places that they wanted to look at in the borough is private property,” adding, “whoever is doing the feasibility study could approach the property owners and talk to them about it, but we’re not going to do that.”

She added the flood plain was also an issue in the borough, limiting development, but that the role she and Callahan play is solely to assist the individuals conducting the study by allowing them access to town data and taking them to see various locations.

She said she did not recall that there had been any discussions about specific locations in Stonington where a rail station could be placed, though she clarified that conversations had taken place over a year ago.

Callahan said he did not know where the privately owned property in the borough, mentioned by Chesebrough was.

In 2021, the General Assembly passed a bill tasking the DOT with conducting the study to determine the possibility of expanding the CTrail Shoreline East Service to Rhode Island and Norwich.