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
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 (2011)	625,995  3.9%
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 Terminus 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.

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. Service to T. F. Green Airport via a new station began on December 6, 2010.

History

Providence's first railroad station was Union Station, a brick edifice built in 1847 by the Providence and Worcester, Providence and Stonington, and Boston and Providence Railroads. This building was lost to fire in 1896, and replaced by a newer Union Station, completed 1898, which consisted of five large brick structures, built by New Haven Railroad. In 1986, the current Providence Station (shown here) was built to replace the 1898 station, as part of a redevelopment project to free up land from a mass of train tracks that had hemmed in downtown Providence. It is much smaller than its predecessor, reflecting the diminished local role of railroad transit. Designed by Marilyn Taylor of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, local architectural historian William McKenzie Woodward lauds the building for its aesthetics, calling its saucer dome "an obvious yet very gracious gesture toward the (Rhode Island) State House".

The now-renovated buildings of the 1892 station still form the northern side of Kennedy Plaza in the center of Downtown Providence.

Amtrak

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.

MBTA

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. Service will be extended farther south to Wickford Junction in 2012.

Unlike what the name implies, there is no direct service from Providence to Stoughton, Massachusetts. Stoughton station lies on a branch of the Providence/Stoughton line that is only accessible from stations between South Station and Canton Junction.

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 state side of the station with Kennedy Plaza.

Images

• 

  MBTA commuter rail train and platforms

• 

  Station clock tower

• 

  Waiting area

References

• Woodward, W^m McKenzie. Guide to Providence Architecture. 1st ed. 2003: United States. ISBN 0-9742847-0-x. p303-304.
• One Union Station on The Rhode Island Foundation
• Three and One-Half Centuries at a Glance (May 2002). ProvidenceRI.com - History and Fact.

External links

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