Submitted by ToadScoper t3_10462am in RhodeIsland
Comments
gravytrain2112 t1_j345jm6 wrote
The costs and the corruption would be astronomical.
katieleehaw t1_j336bvh wrote
Would be cool if I could get from Fall River to Pawtucket to go to the Met without driving. That would be awesome.
ToadScoper OP t1_j337wy7 wrote
In the 1930s, you could’ve taken a direct electric train from Fall River to Providence! Most of that former rail line is now the East Bay Bike Path/Warren bike path. It’s quite sad to think that at one point RI basically had a metro system… now it’s entirely gone
TheSausageFattener t1_j33anqz wrote
At one point I think you could have taken a trolley from Newport to Boston too.
le127 t1_j3529j1 wrote
Back in the 1920s there were both trolley/streetcar/tram lines in the cities and interurban rail lines between the cities and even into some of the rural areas. There are still a few remnants of the bed from the Providence-Woonsocket line if you know where to look. When private autos became common everybody saw this as the modern way to go. Looking back now it might be nice to still have some of that infrastructure. The links below are old maps showing the long gone interurban rail lines.
TheSausageFattener t1_j355yh7 wrote
Massachusetts approved some money to run a planning study on restoring passenger rail service from Providence to Worcester this past summer. I doubt that will happen though. I don't think RIDOT would bite, and Mass has so many other rail expansion plans that would happen first.
iandavid t1_j33bnyz wrote
Not entirely! Many of the old electric trolley lines are still followed by RIPTA routes.
Which, if anything, is one of the problems that holds RIPTA back from being a more effective system – we need to invest in new routes that mirror modern commuting patterns around the Providence metro area, not just ones that follow trolley routes from 100+ years ago.
ToadScoper OP t1_j33d77f wrote
Ah yes! RIPTA does run on old trolley/interurban routes, but the providence-Warren-Bristol-fall River route was entirely electrified heavy-rail! It was a unique system for RI!
degggendorf t1_j35148d wrote
>Most of that former rail line is now the East Bay Bike Path/Warren bike path
I wonder how an electric bike on the path would compare to the electric trolly a hundred years ago.
I bet it would be a bit less comfortable in the winter, but also faster. Lower throughput? Or I could see it being comparable if enough people tried and had good bike manners. Ecologically? Must be better, right, on account of our improvements generating grid-scale power?
Idk, I'm not sure there is an answer, and it's all moot anyway. Just a fun thought experiment.
ToadScoper OP t1_j3520x4 wrote
The line didn’t use trolleys, it used self-propelled electric heavy-rail carriages (similar to that of a conventional subway) that had a much higher speed and capacity than standard trolley cars. At its peak in the 1920s-30s the New Haven Railroad ran headways as frequent as every 8 minutes at rush hour
degggendorf t1_j358g42 wrote
Oh that's awesome! And also, y'know, a tragedy.
kazafrazarack t1_j34iqq4 wrote
If this kind of stuff interests you I recommend checking out this plan for electric rapid rail using the Northeast corridor right-of-way for dedicated service to a dozen stops throughout RI, I thought this looked great: https://archive.org/details/ri-rapid-rail-final/page/n1/mode/1up
Here’s another one that goes more in depth about a dedicated RI service using the NEC, there are several other examples including the Shoreline East service in CT: https://transitforwardri.com/pdf/Strategy%20Paper%209%20Passenger%20Rail.pdf
Honestly this makes more sense to me than trying to take a bunch of land or lanes for an entirely new ROW for light rail, imo. The Paw/CF station unlocks so much potential, exciting times!
[deleted] t1_j33ylk1 wrote
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Mountain_Bill5743 t1_j34avc3 wrote
Pawtucket is the best of times or the worst of times, depending on the street. I'd do a lot of research if you aren't local and going to commit without experience living there.
FynnCobb t1_j35na4w wrote
DEFINITELY take a ride through the neighborhood, ask neighbors, or stop by the local fire house and ask about the neighborhood. It’s a wild city, some great food and fun, but you DON’T want to be in the wrong part of town.
[deleted] t1_j36rorr wrote
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FynnCobb t1_j35nlxx wrote
This is awesome! Would have been really neat if they could have rehabbed the old Pawtucket/CF station, but the cost would have been RIDICULOUS. Either way, it’s great that Pawtucket is back on the proverbial map!
ToadScoper OP t1_j3cf6eh wrote
The original station site was actually considered about a decade ago, however, the curvature of the NEC made it impossible to construct high-level platforms at the former station site
[deleted] t1_j36rum3 wrote
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Distinct-Ad5751 t1_j375qgv wrote
What happened?
ToadScoper OP t1_j33032h wrote
Ultimately, the station is a long-overdue win for Pawtucket. RIDOT should shift its focus to modernizing local transit connections... light rail should absolutely be considered moving forward, it is quite embarrassing that RI lacks any form of rail transit beyond the NEC. That being said, the previous plan for a dedicated right-of-way LRT between Central Falls and Olneyville should be considered.