Providence Station

Providence Amtrak inter-city rail station MBTA commuter rail station
Station statistics
Address	100 Gaspee Street Providence, RI
Coordinates	41°49′45″N 71°24′48″W / 41.829087°N 71.41325°W / 41.829087; -71.41325Coordinates: 41°49′45″N 71°24′48″W / 41.829087°N 71.41325°W / 41.829087; -71.41325
Lines	Amtrak:   Acela Express   Northeast Regional MBTA:   Providence/Stoughton Line
Connections	Bus routes
Platforms	2 island platforms
Tracks	5 (1 freight)
Baggage check	Available for Northeast Regionals 66 and 67
Other information
Opened	1986
Accessible
Code	PVD
Owned by	Amtrak
Traffic
Passengers (by service)	625,995 (Amtrak, 2011)[1] 1,960 (MBTA daily)[2]
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station New London toward Washington, D.C. Acela Express Route 128 toward Boston South Station Kingston toward Newport News or Lynchburg Northeast Regional MBTA T. F. Green Airport toward Wickford Junction Providence/Stoughton Line South Attleboro toward South Station Foxboro Special events Terminus

Providence Station is a railroad station in Providence, Rhode Island and is served by Amtrak and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The station has four tracks for passenger service, with a fifth track passing through for Providence and Worcester Railroad freight trains. It is the 17th busiest Amtrak station in the country, after BWI.^[3]

Providence Station has full-length high-level platforms and is wheelchair accessible. A new layover facility for MBTA commuter trains, located north of the station in Pawtucket, opened in 2006, allowing the MBTA to increase service to the city.

History

Providence's first railroad station was built in 1835 by the Boston and Providence Rail Road at India Point.^[4] The Providence and Stonington built a depot at Crary Street in South Providence in 1838, and the two were soon connected by a ferry service.^[4]

The first through service stopped at Union Station, a brick edifice built in 1847 by the Providence & Worcester, Providence & Stonington, and Boston & Providence Railroads. It was designed by 21-year-old architect Thomas Alexander Tefft.^[4] This building was lost to fire in 1896 and was replaced by a larger Union Station, completed in 1898 by the New Haven Railroad. It consisted of five large brick structures, which still form the northern side of Kennedy Plaza in the center of Downtown Providence.

In 1986, the Northeast Corridor through Providence was relocated north to free up land from a mass of train tracks that had hemmed in downtown Providence. The new and smaller station, designed by Marilyn Taylor of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, was built across Gaspee Street from the Rhode Island State House. It is a simple building in the brutalist style, with a large square clocktower. The five tracks and two platforms are located below ground level underneath the station building. Local architectural historian William McKenzie Woodward lauded the building for its aesthetics, calling its saucer dome "an obvious yet very gracious gesture toward the State House".^[5]

Rail service

Two of Amtrak's passenger rail routes serve the station: the Acela Express and the Northeast Regional. The Acela Express is the United States' only high-speed rail service; the Regional is a slower local service. Both connect Providence with the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington D.C.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), also serves Providence station. The Providence/Stoughton commuter rail line's southern terminus is located at T. F. Green Airport. The Providence/Stoughton Line provides commuter service to towns between the airport, Providence and Boston, sharing track with Amtrak trains. An extension farther south to Wickford Junction starts service on April 23, 2012.^[6]

Service history

Amtrak has served Providence since its inception in 1971, with Northeast Corridor trains from Boston to New York and Washington. Local commuter service - both intrastate service and service to Boston - has been intermittent during this era. After Penn Central discontinued their New London to Boston commuter train in 1972, Rhode Island sponsored a short lived Westerly to Providence service (which lasted until 1979) in addition to the MBTA's Providence to Boston service.^[7] Sunday service ended in October 1977 and off-peak and Saturday service ended in April 1979 due to Rhode Island's limited subsidies; rush-hour service ceased on February 20, 1981.^[7] Rush hour commuter service began again in February 1988, with off-peak service added in December 2000 and weekend service added in July 2006.^[7] Service was further extended to T.F. Green Airport in December 2010.

Additionally, some game-day service to Foxboro has run from Providence since 1994, as well as a brief stint in 1971.^[7]

The first revenue Acela Express service to Providence was on December 11, 2000, concurrent with the expansion of MBTA service.

Ground transportation

A taxi stand faces the city side of the station. Though the Kennedy Plaza hub for bus-based local and regional transportation is approximately ¼ mile away, the route is not marked. The 50, 55, 56, and 57 RIPTA buses connect the Gaspee Street side of the station with Kennedy Plaza.

Images

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  MBTA commuter rail train and platforms

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  Station clock tower

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  Waiting area

• 

  Platforms underground

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Providence Station

• Amtrak – Stations – Providence, RI
• MBTA - Providence Station
• Providence Amtrak-MBTA Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)
• Gaspee Street entrance from Google Maps Street View