Pawtucket/Central Falls station

{{Infobox station

| style = MBTA

| name = Pawtucket/Central Falls

| image = Northbound train departing Pawtucket Central Falls station, December 2023.jpg

| image_caption = An MBTA train at the station in December 2023

| address = 300 Pine Street

| borough = Pawtucket, Rhode Island

| coordinates = {{Coord|41.8787|-71.3922|display=inline,title}}

| line = Amtrak Northeast Corridor

| other = {{bus icon}} RIPTA: {{MBTA other buses|Pawtucket Central Falls RIPTA}}

| structure =

| platform = 2 side platforms

| tracks = 3

| parking = 201 spaces

| bicycle =

| passengers = 701 daily boardings

| pass_year = March 2024

| opened = 1847; January 23, 2023

| closed = February 20, 1981

| rebuilt = June 16, 1916

| accessible = Yes

| owned =

| zone = 8

| former =

| services = {{Adjacent stations|system1=MBTA

|line1=Providence/Stoughton|left1=Providence|right1=South Attleboro|to-left1=Wickford Junction

|line2=Foxboro event Providence|left2=Providence|right2=South Attleboro}}

| other_services_header = Former services

| other_services_collapsible = yes

| other_services = {{Adjacent stations|system2=MBTA|line2=Providence/Stoughton|left2=Providence old|right2=Attleboro|to-left2=Providence old|note-mid2=Station closed 1981

|system3=New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad

|line3=Shore Line Railway (Connecticut)|left3=Providence|right3=Attleboro

}}

| mapframe = yes

| mapframe-marker-color = #{{rcr|MBTA|rail}}

}}

Pawtucket/Central Falls station is a commuter rail station in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It opened for MBTA Commuter Rail Providence/Stoughton Line service on January 23, 2023. The station has two side platforms serving the two tracks of the Northeast Corridor. It is also a hub for RIPTA local bus service.

A former station, located slightly northeast on the border of Pawtucket and Central Falls, opened in 1916 to replace separate stations in the two cities. The station building was closed in 1959, and passenger service ended in 1981. The derelict station building, located above the Northeast Corridor tracks, is still extant.

History

=Combined station=

File:Pawtucket-Central Falls station from Barton Street (2), August 2015.JPG

The station was originally built in 1915-16 by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad as a replacement for two separate stations in both Pawtucket and Central Falls as part of a grade separation program. The project was approved on April 29, 1912; grade crossings were eliminated on April 11, 1914, and trains began using the new alignment on December 20. The new station opened for passengers on January 16, 1916.{{cite book |title=A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses |author=Roy, John H. Jr. |publisher=Branch Line Press |year=2007 |isbn=9780942147087 |pages=287–88}}{{cite journal |jstor=43504499 |title=Dates of Some of the Principal Events in the History of 100 Years of the Railroad in New England. 1826-1926 |first=Warren |last=Jacobs |date=October 1928 |journal=Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin |publisher=Railway and Locomotive Historical Society |volume=17 |issue=17 |pages=15–28}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C1BCAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA398 |page=398 |title=Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners |volume=5 |issue=2 |date=January 1918 |publisher=Wright & Potter Printing Company |via=Google Books}} It was originally built with two island platforms and four tracks, with each platform serving one center main track and one siding.

In 1959, the station building itself was in disrepair and was closed. Thereafter passengers accessed the platforms via stairways from Barton Street. The station was served by New Haven Railroad trains, then later by MBTA Commuter Rail, until Rhode Island stopped funding service past {{bts|Attleboro}} on February 20, 1981.{{NETransit}} The station building was considered for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, but this was deferred due to concerns about its structural integrity.{{cite web |url=http://www.preservation.ri.gov/pdfs_zips_downloads/national_pdfs/pawtucket/pawt_historic-resources-of-pawtucket-text.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form |publisher=City of Central Falls |date=31 October 1984 |page=62}} During the Northeast Corridor Electrification Project in the 1990s, the station tracks were relocated to increase clearances for the Acela Express to tilt when going around the curve. The center main tracks were replaced with a single southbound main track, while the northbound siding track was replaced with a new northbound main track. The southbound siding is now the "FRIP track" (Freight Rail Improvement Project) for the exclusive use of Providence and Worcester Railroad freight trains.{{cite web |url=http://projects.vhb.com/pawtucketcommuterrail/pdf/2007FeasibilityStudy.pdf |title=Pawtucket/Central Falls Commuter Rail Facility: Feasibility Study & Site Analysis |date=June 2007 |publisher=City of Pawtucket Department of Planning and Redevelopment |author=Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216022907/http://projects.vhb.com/pawtucketcommuterrail/pdf/2007FeasibilityStudy.pdf |archive-date=December 16, 2019}}

=New station=

==Planning==

File:Pawtucket Central Falls station construction from Weeden Street (2), December 2021.JPG

When Rhode Island resumed funding MBTA service to Providence in 1988, the Pawtucket/Central Falls stop was not resumed due to limited funding and the deteriorated condition of the station. The MBTA opened a new station at South Attleboro on June 20, 1990 to reach the Pawtucket/Central Falls market without adding a second stop in Rhode Island, which Rhode Island did not wish to pay for. The station site at Route 1A is located less than a mile east of the point where the line enters Rhode Island, and offered room for a parking lot whereas the downtown Pawtucket location did not. However, it is too far from the old location to be walkable for most Pawtucket and Central Falls residents, and until 2013 RIPTA buses were prohibited by federal law from crossing the state line to deliver passengers to the station.{{cite news |url=http://www.pbn.com/RIPTA-buses-may-stop-near-Mass-trains,46942 |title=RIPTA buses may stop near Mass. trains |newspaper=Providence Business Journal |date=24 December 2009 |author=Barrett, Chris |accessdate=3 July 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703225934/http://www.pbn.com/RIPTA-buses-may-stop-near-Mass-trains,46942 |archivedate=3 July 2014}}{{cite news |url=http://www.providencejournal.com/business/content/20130521-ripta-prepares-to-reorganize-routes-to-improve-service.ece |title=RIPTA prepares to reorganize routes to improve service |newspaper=Providence Journal |date=21 May 2013 |author=Landis, Bruce |accessdate=8 July 2014}}

In the early 1990s, Rhode Island began planning for a substantial increase in commuter rail service, with more service to Boston as well as Providence-focused intrastate service. With South Attleboro station open, the need for a downtown Pawtucket/Central Falls station was initially discounted. A 1994 RIDOT study of rail corridors in the state analyzed commuter rail service to Woonsocket, but a Pawtucket station was not included.{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424230300/http://www.dot.state.ri.us/documents/intermodal/RIDOT_Rail_Feasibility_Study_1994.pdf |archivedate=24 April 2013 |url=http://www.dot.state.ri.us/documents/intermodal/RIDOT_Rail_Feasibility_Study_1994.pdf |title=Rail Corridor Feasibility Study |publisher=Rhode Island Department of Transportation |date=November 1994 |accessdate=31 August 2015}} During the next decade, the state focused on adding additional Boston-Providence trains and extending service to the South County area with stations at T. F. Green Airport and Wickford Junction.{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416051517/http://www.dot.ri.gov/documents/intermodal/OperationsPlanMaster2.pdf |archivedate=16 April 2009 |url=http://www.dot.ri.gov/documents/intermodal/OperationsPlanMaster2.pdf |title=South County Commuter Rail Service Plan |date=July 2001 |publisher=Rhode Island Department of Transportation |author=Edwards and Kelcey, Inc |accessdate=31 August 2015}}{{cite web |url=http://www.dot.state.ri.us/documents/intermodal/socountyrail.pdf |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416051517/http://www.dot.ri.gov/documents/intermodal/OperationsPlanMaster2.pdf |archivedate=16 April 2009 |title=South County Commuter Rail Environmental Assessment |date=February 2003 |publisher=Rhode Island Department of Transportation |accessdate=31 August 2015}} In 1998, RIDOT began planning a layover yard - but no station - in Pawtucket; the $18.5 million facility began construction in May 2003 and opened in July 2006.{{cite news |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924045332/http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20060425_ptrain25.5148608.html |archivedate=24 September 2009 |url=http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20060425_ptrain25.5148608.html |title=Planned rail yard will expand routes, relieve neighbors |newspaper=Providence Journal |last=Castellucci |first=John |date=25 April 2006}}{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2006-08-02/mbta-us-senator-jack-reed-ri-governor-carcieri-ridot-officially-open-pawtucket |title=MBTA, U.S. Senator Jack Reed, RI Governor Carcieri, RIDOT Officially Open Pawtucket Layover Facility |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=August 2, 2006}}

In 2005 the City of Pawtucket began discussions with RIDOT about adding a Pawtucket stop in addition to the South County service. The city commissioned a $344,000 study, released in 2007, which estimated between 1,080 and 1,161 daily riders to Boston, 269 to 562 daily riders to Providence, and 27 to 45 daily riders to T.F. Green Airport.{{cite news |url=http://www.pbn.com/Study-finds-rail-stop-makes-sense-in-Pawtucket,21980? |title=Study finds rail stop makes sense in Pawtucket |newspaper=Providence Business News |date=4 November 2006 |last=Sayles |first=Justin |accessdate=1 September 2015}} The study considered reopening the former station with new platforms to the north, or building an all-new station at the Providence and Worcester Railroad yard to the south. The renovated station was estimated to cost $58.5 million versus $45.1 million for an all-new station, but the former was recommended based on better walkability, fewer impacts to businesses, and concerns about toxic materials in the rail yard.

File:Pawtucket_Central_Falls_station_near_completion_(3),_December_2022.JPG

Reusing the former station site was determined to be impractical after further analysis. The dilapidated condition of the building would markedly increase costs, and the track geometry was unsuitable for a modern station: there is insufficient room in the trench to add additional tracks to allow Amtrak trains to pass stopped commuter trains, and the sharp curve makes high-level handicapped accessible platforms impossible to build without large platform gaps.{{cite web |url=http://projects.vhb.com/pawtucketcommuterrail/pdf/June%2013%20Public%20Meeting%20Presentation.pdf |work=Pawtucket Commuter Rail Station Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Assessment |title=Public Outreach Meeting: June 13, 2013 |publisher=Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. |date=13 June 2013 |accessdate=1 September 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052812/http://projects.vhb.com/pawtucketcommuterrail/pdf/June%2013%20Public%20Meeting%20Presentation.pdf |url-status=dead }}

In April 2016, RIDOT submitted an application for a $14.5 million TIGER grant, which would part of the $40 million construction cost of the new station. If the grant was approved, the state would contribute $3.6 million and the two cities $3.0 million, with federal funding expected to cover the remaining half. Environmental review and preliminary design was to be completed by September 2016, with a $3.0 million design contract awarded in December. The TIGER application lowered the expected ridership to 519 daily boardings, of which all but 89 would be diverted from Providence and South Attleboro.{{cite news |url=http://wpri.com/2016/05/17/ri-seeks-14-5m-from-feds-for-new-pawtucket-train-station/ |title=RI seeks $14.5M from feds for new Pawtucket train station |newspaper=WPRI 12 Eyewitness News |date=17 May 2016 |first=Ted |last=Nesi |accessdate=19 May 2016}}

==Construction and opening==

In October 2016, state and city officials unveiled a sign marking the site of the planned station.{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2016/10/29/sign-to-be-planted-at-site-of-future-mbta-station |title=Sign to be planted at site of future MBTA station |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=October 29, 2016 |author=AP |accessdate=November 26, 2016}} Ground for the new station was broken in November 2018.{{cite news|url=https://turnto10.com/news/local/ground-broken-on-new-40m-pawtucketcentral-falls-transportation-hub|title=Ground breaks on new $40M Pawtucket/Central Falls Transportation Hub|last=Heim|first=R.J.|publisher=WJAR-TV|date=November 2, 2018|accessdate=November 9, 2018}}{{cite news |url=https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2021/02/06/covid-doesnt-stop-pawtucket-train-station-construction/4403174001/ |title=COVID doesn't stop Pawtucket train station construction |author=Paul Edward Parker |newspaper=The Providence Journal |date=February 6, 2021 |access-date=February 21, 2021}}

After construction delays, the station opened on January 23, 2023.{{cite news |url=https://www.valleybreeze.com/townnews/building_industry/construction-delays-push-train-station-opening-to-december/article_b20ed064-11d2-11ed-b980-c7f6cfa0b124.html |title=Construction delays push train station opening to December |author=Zack Deluca |newspaper=The Valley Breeze |date=August 3, 2022 |access-date=September 20, 2022}}{{cite press release |url=https://www.ri.gov/press/view/45027 |title=Governor McKee, RIDOT Announce January 23 Opening Date for Pawtucket-Central Falls Transit Center |publisher=Office of the Governor of Rhode Island |date=January 9, 2023}} RIPTA bus routes in Pawtucket were also moved to the new station.{{cite web |url=https://www.ripta.com/major-transit-centers/# |title=Major Transit Centers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123053429/https://www.ripta.com/major-transit-centers/ |archive-date=January 23, 2023 |publisher=Rhode Island Public Transit Authority |date=}} The station reached 400 daily boardings within the first week, close to projections of 520 daily. RIDOT indicated it would expand the 200-space parking lot, which was already at capacity, later in 2023.{{cite news |url=https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/ridership-booming-at-new-train-station-parking-to-be-expanded/article_2e6b1986-a11d-11ed-bf5d-9b418ef61d49.html |title=Ridership booming at new train station; parking to be expanded |newspaper=The Valley Breeze |date=February 1, 2023 |first=Ethan |last=Shorey |access-date=February 2, 2023}} Ridership was at 439 daily boardings by May 2023.{{cite news |url=https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/state-expects-new-lot-at-train-station-soon/article_86b4fb08-03d7-11ee-bb6b-338e9f5fce36.html |title=State expects new lot at train station soon |newspaper=The Valley Breeze |date=June 7, 2023 |first=Ethan |last=Shorey |access-date=June 7, 2023}} Construction of the 275-space lot expansion began that July and opened in January 2024.{{cite news |url=https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/expansion-of-train-station-parking-lot-in-pawtucket-proceeds/article_e06b5842-3adf-11ee-924a-7f61195c0a06.html |title=Expansion of train station parking lot in Pawtucket proceeds |newspaper=The Valley Breeze |date=August 16, 2023 |first=Ethan |last=Shorey |access-date=September 21, 2023}} The station had 701 daily boardings in a March 2024 count.{{cite news |url=https://www.valleybreeze.com/townnews/highway/no-drop-off-in-ridership-at-pawtucket-cf-station-after-s-attleboro-reopens/article_cc7f801e-35c1-11ef-93f4-b7d8a743fe05.html |title=No drop-off in ridership at Pawtucket-CF station after S. Attleboro reopens |newspaper=Valley Breeze |first=Ethan |last=Shorey |date=July 2, 2024 |archive-date=July 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240702205959/https://www.valleybreeze.com/townnews/highway/no-drop-off-in-ridership-at-pawtucket-cf-station-after-s-attleboro-reopens/article_cc7f801e-35c1-11ef-93f4-b7d8a743fe05.html}}

File:P&W_light_engines_at_Pawtucket_station.jpg train passing the station on the dedicated freight track]]

RIPTA plans to construct an indoor waiting room at the station for rail and bus passengers. It was originally planned as part of the station project; it was removed to reduce cost, then re-added with American Rescue Plan funds. RIPTA issued a request for proposals in April 2023.{{cite web |url=https://purchasing.ri.gov/RIVIP/ExternalBids/QuasiPublicAgencies/RIPublicTransitAuthBids/23-29.pdf |title=The Pawtucket Central Falls Transit Center's New Passenger Facilities Building: Request for Proposal (RFP) For Design Services |publisher=Rhode Island Public Transit Authority |date=April 24, 2023}} Construction began in September 2024, with completion expected in late 2025 or early 2026.{{cite press release |url=https://www.ripta.com/ripta-federal-state-and-local-officials-celebrate-groundbreaking-of-new-pawtucket-central-falls-transit-center-passenger-facility/ |title=RIPTA, Federal, State, and Local Officials Celebrate Groundbreaking of New Pawtucket-Central Falls Transit Center Passenger Facility |date=September 16, 2024 |publisher=Rhode Island Public Transit Authority}} In September 2024, Pawtucket officials proposed replacing the surface parking lots with a garage, possibly with transit oriented development above.{{cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917121136/https://eu.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/09/16/ripta-wants-to-build-a-new-transit-line-where-should-it-go/75250830007/ |url=https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/09/16/ripta-wants-to-build-a-new-transit-line-where-should-it-go/75250830007/ |archive-date=September 17, 2024 |date=September 16, 2024 |newspaper=Providence Journal |title=RIPTA wants to hear from riders and residents on where a new transit line should go |first=Patrick |last=Anderson}}

In March 2023, the Central Falls city solicitor reported that "[a]ll signs point toward demolition" of the former station.{{cite news |url=https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/all-signs-point-toward-demolition-of-old-train-station/article_529d739e-bc39-11ed-a29c-ebf97da3ed90.html |title=All signs point toward demolition of old train station |first=Ethan |last=Shorey |newspaper=The Valley Breeze |date=March 8, 2023 |accessdate=March 8, 2023}} Earlier that year, Amtrak estimated a $9.9 million cost to demolish the structure.{{cite news |url=https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/huge-price-tag-for-removal-of-old-train-station/article_37095a9a-e834-11ed-9d2b-935971273593.html |title=Huge price tag for removal of old train station |first=Ethan |last=Shorey |newspaper=The Valley Breeze |date=May 3, 2023 |access-date=May 3, 2023}} In August 2024, the court-appointed special master applied for a Federal Railroad Administration grant to demolish the building.{{cite news |url=https://www.valleybreeze.com/townnews/railway/grant-sought-to-pay-for-old-train-station-s-demolition/article_1cb4fd80-532b-11ef-8890-ebcf91b33f4e.html |title=Grant sought to pay for old train station's demolition |newspaper=The Valley Breeze |date=August 7, 2024 |first=Ethan |last=Shorey |access-date=August 7, 2024}} The grant was not awarded.{{cite news |url=https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/grant-fails-to-come-through-for-demolition-of-old-train-station/article_8e61ffce-92a5-433d-8adf-344869c539d3.html |title=Grant fails to come through for demolition of old train station |newspaper=The Valley Breeze |first=Ethan |last=Shorey |date=March 26, 2025 |archive-date=March 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250327180651/https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/grant-fails-to-come-through-for-demolition-of-old-train-station/article_8e61ffce-92a5-433d-8adf-344869c539d3.html}}

References

External links

[https://www.mbta.com/stops/place-NEC-1891 MBTA – Pawtucket/Central Falls]
[http://www.dot.ri.gov/projects/PCF/ Pawtucket/Central Falls Commuter Rail Station & Bus Hub] | RIDOT
[http://www.pawtucketri.com/planning-redevelopment/pawtucket-central-falls-commuter-rail-station Pawtucket Central Falls Commuter Rail Station] | City of Pawtucket
[https://web.archive.org/web/20170429201819/http://projects.vhb.com/pawtucketcommuterrail/default.asp Pawtucket Central Falls Commuter Rail Station Study Project (2013-2016)] (archived) | RIDOT

Category:Buildings and structures in Central Falls, Rhode Island

Category:Buildings and structures in Pawtucket, Rhode Island

Category:MBTA Commuter Rail stations in Rhode Island

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Providence County, Rhode Island

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Pawtucket, Rhode Island

Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1916

Category:1916 establishments in Rhode Island

Category:1981 disestablishments in Rhode Island

Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Providence County, Rhode Island

Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 2023

Category:2023 establishments in Rhode Island

Category:Former Old Colony Railroad stations