ATTLEBORO -- It will take a few years, but local residents will one day be able to board an MBTA train in Attleboro, South Attleboro or Mansfield to get to T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island.

The state of Rhode Island broke ground Monday on a train station that officials hope will boost travel and reduce traffic congestion by connecting Green Airport to the commuter rail line.

The train station, expected to be open in 2009, will have a 1,250-foot skywalk connecting its garage to the airport's main terminal. The skywalk will be lined with small retail kiosks and could be attached in the future to hotels and other facilities.

Eight trains will run from the station to Boston each weekday.

A second station will be built south of the air port in Wickford. DOT officials estimate 1,000 peo ple will take the commuter rail from Wickford to work in Providence and Boston by 2020. They expect hundreds more to commute from Warwick. The federal government provided $85 million for the project, and Rhode Island put in $22 million. The rest of the cost is being paid for with a $42 mil lion low-interest loan, $48 million in bonds issued last month, and $29 million in fees from rental car companies that will operate from the station, said Brian Shattle, chief finance officer for the Rhode Island Airport Corp.

Although Rhode Island doesn't have the money to make the train accessible for Amtrak train, the station could be retrofitted later if Amtrak decided it wanted to stop there, officials said. Amtrak offi cials could not be reached for comment.

Discussion about a Warwick train station began in the mid-1990s. Planning began after the late Sen. John Chafee got a $25 million grant for the project. His son, Sen. Lincoln Chafee, helped secure a second, $60 million federal grant for construction last year.

The Green Airport train station is only the latest partnership between the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Rhode Island which could benefit local travelers and commuters.

Look for more frequent trains to Providence and new service on weekends beginning July 24 on the MBTA's Providence-to-Boston line.

As part of a new schedule, the number of weekday roundtrips between South Station and Providence will jump from 11 to 15. Under the existing schedule, the last train for Providence leaves Boston at 8:15. The new schedule includes three departures from Boston between 9 p.m. and midnight.

The MBTA is also introducing new weekend service beginning July 29, with nine roundtrips on Saturdays and seven on Sundays. Previously, there had been no weekend service.

In addition, MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas announced that the commuter line, currently known as the Attleboro-Stoughton line, will be renamed the Providence-Stoughton commuter rail line.

`` More than a thousand people a day are boarding our trains in Providence,'' said Grabauskas. `` Rhode Islanders have helped make this commuter rail line the busiest in the MBTA system, and we look forward to attracting even more customers with the new service being offered.''