Providence/Stoughton Line

An Attleboro/Stoughton Line train in 1982

South Attleboro station opened in 1990. This photograph was taken in 2013.

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.[3] The Orange Line shares the corridor between Back Bay and Forest Hills.

In 1990, a northbound commuter train was involved in a collision with a northbound Night Owl train. The accident, which occurred to the west of Back Bay station, injured over four hundred people, although there were no fatalities.[4]

On February 20, 1981, the MBTA stopped serving Rhode Island, as funding from the state had ended. On September 17, 1986, the two states reached an agreement to resume service.[5] Rush-hour service was restored on February 1, 1988. On June 20, 1990, a new stop opened in South Attleboro and most trains were extended to the station; regular Sunday service returned in 1992.[3] Some off-peak weekday trains were extended to Providence starting on December 11, 2000.[3] On July 24, 2006, the MBTA increased weekday Providence from 11 to 15 daily round trips. Weekend service to Providence resumed on July 29, and a new layover facility was opened in Pawtucket.[6][7][8]

Amtrak electrified the Providence Line in 2000, but the MBTA has not utilized this. In 2019, the MBTA had preliminary discussions with Amtrak about leasing Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotives to test on the Providence Line.[9]

Service changes effective November 2, 2020 shifted some peak service to off-peak, providing 60-minute all-day headways between Providence and Boston. However as of 2020 there remains no weekend service to Stoughton - all trains run along the Providence mainline only. [10]

Extensions

Map of South County Commuter Rail project, showing the extension to T.F. Green Airport and Wickford Junction

As part of the South County Commuter Rail initiative, a 20-mile extension past Providence to T. F. Green Airport and Wickford Junction in Rhode Island is now fully open. The T. F. Green Airport part of the extension opened in December 2010, with Wickford Junction service beginning in April 2012.[11]

A further 24-mile extension is under consideration by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation. Possible stops include Cranston and East Greenwich, plus existing Amtrak stations in Kingston and Westerly and a possible revival of the Pawtucket/Central Falls 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.[12] This would be the first commuter service to Westerly since the last state-sponsored train was run in December 1979.[3] A passing siding and new platforms at Kingston, completed in 2017, may enable extension of some trains there in the near term.[13]

The second phase of the South Coast Rail project, planned for 2030, will electrify the Stoughton Branch and extend it to Taunton, where it will continue on 2023-opened branches to Fall River and New Bedford.

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[19] 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.[20] Rhode Island also pays Amtrak to allow the MBTA to use its tracks.[21]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MBTA Providence/Stoughton Line.

• MBTA - Providence/Stoughton Line schedule