This Long Awaited Station Could Make Your Local Commute So Much Better
It’s been over thirty years since the communities of Pawtucket and Central Falls have had an active train stop, even though the rails run directly through the two cities. Once a booming industrial area which sported its own train station, which has been left abandoned since 1981, these cities were some of the first victims when rail usage declined after the 70’s. But all that’s about to change with a forty million dollar transportation hub straddling the borders of both cities.
Utilizing both a federal grant and contributions from Pawtucket and Central Falls, construction on the new commuter rail stop began last Friday with a groundbreaking ceremony. Proposed to be finished in the early 2020’s, this stop will begin as a part of the MBTA line, making it the only stop in between Attleboro and Providence. Sitting on the corner of Pine Street and Goff Avenue this hub will eventually accommodate both Amtrak trains and RIPTA buses.
If this plan sounds familiar to you that’s because it’s been kicking around for quite some time. But because of the scale in trying to make it more of a hub and less of a singular stop on the commuter line, it’s taken a while for the project to find its legs. Officials from both cities are hoping this will open up some much needed traffic into the cities. It’s a much needed boost after a run of bad luck, especially for Pawtucket. The Pawsox are moving to Worcester and Amazon shot down the joint bid both cities made for their second headquarters over the summer. More recently, the abandoned mill fire last month, not Pawtucket’s first fire to break out in a long vacant structure. Coincidentally, that fire is directly next door to where the new stop will be.
Both Pawtucket and Central Falls have a small but loyal base of residents who frequent the restaurants and various breweries in the area. In order to drive their respective economies up though, they’ll need the accessibility this train stop could bring. That’s to say nothing about how it will offer a helping hand to commuters of both cities, whether you work in Providence or points north.
Thanks for reading,
+ Colin Carlton
About Colin Carlton
Colin is the author of Infinite Velocity, a freelance writer, and a regular contributor to this blog. For more from him, please check out:
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