Photo by Wikimedia user Jehochman / CC BY-SA 4.0

New London officials are hoping to boost the local economy by improving its rail connections with the Boston area.

The Day reports that local leaders are exploring how to extend the state’s CTrail commuter train service, which currently links New Haven to New London and New Haven to Springfield, Massachusetts.

Options under consideration include following the current Amtrak route to Rhode Island’s T.F. Green International Airport or heading along preexisting freight rail tracks up the Thames River valley to Worcester, Massachusetts. Both destinations are already served by Boston’s commuter rail network.

Motivations for the move include connecting drug-maker Pfizer, a major New London employer, with the booming biotech scene in Boston. Worcester is also emerging as a major manufacturing center for medicine.