Could Woonsocket Have Commuter Rail Service Once Again?

Commuter rail service, once key to Woonsocket's economy, connecting its residents to cities across the north-east, could see a revival if Rep. Lisa Baldelli Hunt has her way. 

Baldelli Hunt wants Rhode Island to capture federal transportation funds rejected by Florida and use it to start a commuter rail from northern Rhode Island to Providence, possibly along the Providence and Worcester Railroad.

Historically, Woonsocket's commuter rail service ran to Boston, Providence and Worcester, with lines in nearby Blackstone extending even further, to Hartford and New York. Rail service played a large role in the city's history and development, and stations on River Street and Main Street carried passengers and freight daily. The last of the city's commuter service was halted in 1960 and the remaining track, operated by P & W, carries only freight.

According to a press release, Baldelli Hunt sent a letter to U.S. Sen. Jack Reed yesterday urging him to seek the money on Rhode Island’s behalf for the project that she believes would alleviate rush-hour congestion, help the environment and serve to revitalize Woonsocket’s Main Street.

“In addition to putting existing resources to better use, taking cars off a congested route, and better enabling northern Rhode Islanders to access employment and other opportunities in Providence, a commuter rail would undoubtedly have a positive impact on Main Street, Woonsocket, bringing commuters who will be looking for the convenience of nearby shopping, dining and other services,” said Baldelli Hunt (D-Dist. 49, Woonsocket) in the letter, a copy of which, her offices report, was also sent to the governor.

She, Senator Reed and other elected officials met at the Woonsocket railroad depot some time ago for an event at which they discussed their hope to get passenger service running once again in Woonsocket. The Providence and Worcester Railroad is in use, but carries freight only, not passengers.

"Governor Chafee has indicated that he is interested in focusing on redeveloping the Main Street areas in communities around Rhode Island, and this proposal would serve that purpose quite effectively," Baldelli Hunt said.

Pursuit of a commuter rail service for Woonsocket was explored as part of the city's 2010 Comprehensive Plan. A feasibility study concluded "increased expenditures should be made to further develop commuter ridership on the existing P&W line from Worcester to Providence."

Baldelli Hunt said her interest in the idea was re-ignited this week by news that the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority is considering a two-mile streetcar system in Providence at an estimated cost of $76 million.

The representative offered the commuter rail as an alternative to the streetcar system, saying, “starting a commuter rail service on existing track connecting the urban core of Woonsocket to Providence, where many area residents work, would be a far more effective use of transportation funding than a short and expensive new streetcar route in an area already well-served by public transportation.”

She asked Senator Reed to try to secure some of the $2.4 billion in federal transportation funding that Florida Gov. Rick Scott rejected in February for a high-speed railroad in his state. With just a fraction of that funding, she believes, Rhode Island could capitalize on tracks that already exist between Woonsocket and Providence. The service could even run all the way to Worcester, if there’s a demand, since the tracks already go there. In Providence, passengers would be able to connect to T.F. Green Airport, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, Amtrak and RIPTA buses.

Those who sit in morning and evening traffic along Route 146, the main artery between northern Rhode Island and Providence, might be very grateful for the opportunity to take reliable public transportation to work, especially with the continual rise of gas prices, she says.

“The need for such a service is readily apparent every rush hour on Route 146, where traffic is often at a standstill for miles between its intersection with Route 146A and as far away as the State Police barracks in Lincoln. If even a relatively small number of cars along that route were taken off the road by newly minted train commuters, congestion, pollution and road maintenance costs would all be eased,” she wrote in the letter.