Providence/Stoughton Line

     Providence/Stoughton Line

The MBTA's Orange Line and the Providence/Stoughton Line parallel each other in Boston. The Orange Line is on the left, with the commuter rail station at Ruggles on the right.
Overview
Type Commuter rail line
System Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Status Operating
Locale Southeastern Massachusetts
Providence, Rhode Island
Termini Boston South Station
T. F. Green Airport
Stoughton
Stations 14 (One under construction)
Daily ridership 26,272[1]
Operation
Owner Amtrak
(T. F. Green to RI/MA state line)
MBTA
(within Massachusetts)
Operator(s) MBCR
Character Elevated and surface-level
Technical
Line length 51.2 miles (South Station to T.F. Green)
4 miles (Stoughton branch)
Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification 25kV 60Hz AC (only used by Amtrak trains)
Route map
Legend
 0:00 South Station Amtrak connection
Fairmount, Greenbush, and Old Colony Lines
0:05 Back Bay Amtrak connection
Framingham/Worcester Line
0:08 Ruggles
Needham Line
0:16 Hyde Park
Franklin Line
0:21 Route 128 Amtrak connection
0:26 Canton Junction
0:29 Canton Center
0:38 Stoughton
South Coast Rail
North Easton
Easton Village
Raynham Park
Taunton
East Taunton
King's Highway
Whale's Tooth
Freetown
Fall River Depot
Battleship Cove
0:32 Sharon
Franklin Line
Foxboro
0:40 Mansfield
0:48 Attleboro
0:55 South Attleboro
Blackstone River MA/RI state line
1:04 Providence Amtrak connection
1:19 T.F. Green Airport
Wickford Junction (under construction)

The Providence/Stoughton Line is a line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system running southwest from Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The main line was originally built by the Boston and Providence Rail Road, and now carries service between Boston and T. F. Green Airport, Rhode Island. The Stoughton Branch, built as the Stoughton Branch Railroad, splits at Canton Junction and runs for two more stations to Stoughton, Massachusetts. Extensions of both branches to North Kingston, New Bedford, and Fall River are under construction.

Contents

History

On December 31, 1968 the recently-formed Penn Central bought the failing New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The MBTA bought the section of the Providence-Boston line in Massachusetts, as well as many other lines including the Stoughton Branch, from Penn Central on January 27, 1973. On April 1, 1976 Conrail took over Penn Central and the commuter rail equipment was sold to the MBTA, though operation continued to be done by Conrail. Full subsidies by the MBTA for the Providence and Stoughton lines began on September 28, 1976, before which the Federal government helped. On March 31, 1977 the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority and Rhode Island Department of Transportation began to subsidize service beyond the MBTA district, and Stoughton began to pay to keep its station open, that cost later going to the Brockton Area Transit Authority.

On November 3, 1979 the line was closed north of Readville for long-term reconstruction as part of the Southwest Corridor project. All trains began using what is now the Fairmount Line, and special shuttle trains connected South Station to Back Bay. The new line, rebuilt below grade with space for three tracks (the old one had been above grade with room for four tracks), opened on October 5, 1987.[2] The Orange Line shares the corridor between Back Bay and Forest Hills.

On February 20, 1981 the MBTA stopped serving Rhode Island, as funding from the state had ended. Rush-hour service was restored on February 1, 1988. On 20 June 1990, a new stop opened in South Attleboro and most trains were extended to the station; regular Sunday service returned in 1992.[2] Some off-peak weekday trains were extended to Providence starting on December 11, 2000. Weekend service to Providence has resumed as of July 29, 2006, and service to T.F. Green Airport started on December 6, 2010.[3]

Ownership and financing

The MBTA owns the track from Boston to the Rhode Island border. Track in Rhode Island is owned by Amtrak. The entire line is part of the Northeast Corridor.

As part of the 1988[3] Pilgrim Partnership Agreement, Rhode Island provides capital funding (including some of its federal formula funds) for MBTA expansion in the state. Massachusetts (through the MBTA) provides the operating subsidy for MBTA Commuter Rail service in return.[4] Rhode Island also pays Amtrak to allow the MBTA to use its tracks.[5]

Extensions

As part of the South County Commuter Rail initiative, a 20-mile extension is under construction past Providence to T. F. Green Airport and Wickford Junction in Rhode Island. The T. F. Green Airport part of the extension is operating, with the Wickford part expected to start operating in 2012.[6] The opening of Wickford Junction will increase the number of trains south of Providence to eight in each direction per day.

A further 24-mile extension is under consideration by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation. Possible stops include Cranston and East Greenwich, and existing Amtrak stations in Kingston, Westerly as well as a possible revival of the Pawtucket/Central Falls Railroad Station. Rhode Island eventually plans to have its own statewide commuter service along the Northeast Corridor that would connect with MBTA service and an extension of Shore Line East.[7][8] This would be the first commuter service to Westerly since the last state-sponsored train was run in December 1979.[2]

The Stoughton branch is currently being extended to Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford under a project called South Coast Rail. Track has been bought from CSX, but construction has not yet begun on stations.

Accessibility

All stations but Sharon are handicapped accessible with short or full-length high level platforms. Newer stations like T.F. Green Airport, and Amtrak stations like Providence, usually have full-length high level platforms; older stations have mostly been retrofitted with high-level platforms 1 car length long. See also MBTA accessibility.

Station listing

Main Line (Northeast Corridor)

State Milepost[9] City Station Opening date Connections and notes
MA 228.5 Boston South Station 1899 Silver Line service to Logan Airport, Red Line, and all south side Commuter Rail lines
Amtrak Acela Express, Lake Shore Limited, and Northeast Regional
227.8 Back Bay 1899 Orange Line
splits from Framingham/Worcester Line
Amtrak Acela Express, and Lake Shore Limited, and Northeast Regional
original line continued northeast from here to a terminal at Park Square
226.7 Ruggles October 5, 1987 Orange Line
223.9 Forest Hills Orange Line; only served by Needham Line trains
Needham Line (old Dedham Branch) splits
222.8 Mount Hope closed November 2, 1979
221.8 Clarendon Hills closed
221.2 Hazelwood closed
220.7 Hyde Park Hyde Park October 5, 1987 temporarily closed November 2, 1979
219.4 Readville only served by trains using the Fairmount Line
Franklin Line splits and Fairmount Line joins (both part of the Midland Railroad (NYNH&H))
split with Dedham Branch
217.4 Westwood Route 128 Amtrak Acela Express and Regional
originally Green Lodge
Dedham Dedham Road closed
214.1 Canton Canton Junction split with Stoughton Branch
211.0 Sharon Sharon
206.4 Foxborough East Foxboro closed November 1977
204.0 Mansfield Mansfield junction with Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad (NYNH&H), now the line to Foxboro (special events)
197.1 Attleboro Attleboro junction with Attleborough Branch and Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad Attleborough Branch (NYNH&H)
East Junction not a station Junction with old main line to East Providence
193.9 Hebronville closed
191.9 South Attleboro June 20, 1990[2]
RI 190.9 Central Falls Boston Switch not a station Junction with Providence and Worcester Railroad
188.5 Pawtucket Pawtucket-Central Falls closed February 19, 1981
187.3 Woodlawn not a station Junction with Moshassuck Valley Railroad
186.4 Providence Providence February 1, 1988[2] Amtrak Acela Express and Northeast Regional
temporarily closed February 19, 1981 (but still served by Amtrak)
177.3 Warwick T.F. Green Airport December 6, 2010[2]
164.2 North Kingstown Wickford Junction Early 2012[6]
(Under construction)

Closed stations on old southwest alignment:

Milepost[9] Station
227.1 Chickering
226.3 Roxbury
225.6 Heath
225.0 Boylston
224.5 Jamaica Plain

Stoughton Branch

State Milepost[9] City Station Opening date Connections and notes
MA 0.0 Canton Canton Junction splits from main line to Attleboro
0.6 Canton Center
18.3 (~4) Stoughton Stoughton 1888 continued as Easton Branch

External links

References

  1. ^ "Ridership and Service Statistics". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2010. http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/documents/Bluebook%202010.pdf. Retrieved 2 October 2011. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f Belcher, Jonathan (20 July 2011). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA District". NETransit. http://www.transithistory.org/roster/MBTARouteHistory.pdf. Retrieved 2 October 2011. 
  3. ^ a b "COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE TO WARWICK’S T.F. GREEN STATION UNDERWAY". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 8 December 2010. http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=20815. Retrieved 2 October 2011. 
  4. ^ "South County Commuter Rail". Federal Transit Administration. 2011. http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/RI_Providence_South_County_(2).doc. Retrieved 2 October 2011. 
  5. ^ Bierman, Noah (10 September 2009). "Vote set on T link to R.I. airport". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/10/vote_set_on_t_link_to_ri_airport/. Retrieved 2 October 2011. 
  6. ^ a b Samantha, Turner (4 November 2010). "Commuter Rail Station To Open In 2012". North Kingston Patch. http://northkingstown.patch.com/articles/commuter-rail-station-to-open-in-2012. Retrieved 2 October 2011. 
  7. ^ Edwards and Kelcey, Inc (July 2001). "South County Commuter Rail Service: Operations Plan". Rhode Island Department of Transportation. http://www.dot.state.ri.us/documents/intermodal/OperationsPlanMaster2.pdf. Retrieved 2 October 2011. 
  8. ^ "Intermodal Planning". Rhode Island Department of Transportation. http://www.dot.ri.gov/engineering/intermod/index.asp#ComRail. Retrieved 3 August 2011. 
  9. ^ a b c Office of Safety Analysis. "Highway-Rail Crossing Inventory Data". Federal Railroad Administration. http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/officeofsafety/publicsite/downloaddbf.aspx?itemno=7.02. 
Inter-city
Amtrak
NJ Transit
Commuter
MBTA
Providence/Stoughton Line
CDOT
Metro-North
NJ Transit
SEPTA
MARC
Subway lines
(List of stations)
     Blue Line •      Green Line ("B" Branch · "C" Branch · "D" Branch · "E" Branch) •      Orange Line •      Red Line (Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line)




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(List of stations)
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