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66-515: The station was built in 1986, replacing the former Union Station , during a project to remove elevated tracks from downtown Providence. It is fully accessible for all trains. The station was designed in the Washington, D.C. office of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill by Milo Meacham under the direction of Marilyn Jordan Taylor . It is a simple building in the brutalist style, with a large square clocktower. Although largely subterranean and lacking

132-455: A 2018 count, Providence averaged 2,091 inbound MBTA passengers on weekdays, making it the second-busiest station on the system (after Salem ) outside of Boston The station has four passenger tracks serving two island platforms , plus the FRIP (Freight Rail Improvement Project) freight track on the west side. The south platform is usually used by Amtrak, while the north platform is usually used by

198-616: A day, it is the busiest passenger rail line in the United States by ridership and service frequency. The corridor is used by many Amtrak trains, including the high-speed Acela (formerly Acela Express ), intercity trains, and several long-distance trains. Most of the corridor also has frequent commuter rail service, operated by the MBTA , CT Rail , Metro-North Railroad , Long Island Rail Road , New Jersey Transit , SEPTA , and MARC . While large through freights have not run on

264-772: A mass of elevated tracks, popularly called the "Chinese Wall," that had hemmed in downtown Providence. The new and smaller station was built across Gaspee Street from the Rhode Island State House . The five tracks and two platforms are located below ground level underneath the station building. Rush-hour MBTA commuter service began again (to the new station) in February 1988, with off-peak service added in December 2000 and weekend service added in July 2006. A new layover facility for MBTA commuter trains, located north of

330-418: A new overhead catenary wire made of high-strength silver-bearing copper, specified by Amtrak and later patented by Phelps Dodge Specialty Copper Products of Elizabeth, New Jersey . Service with electric locomotives between New Haven and Boston began on January 31, 2000. The project took four years and cost close to $ 2.3 billion: $ 1.3 billion for the infrastructure improvements and close to $ 1 billion for both

396-406: A part of the line that hugs the shore of Long Island Sound . Some of these crossings constitute the only points of access to waterfront communities and businesses otherwise disconnected from the road network. As such, eliminating them would require grade separation to maintain access. Six of the grade crossings have four-quadrant gates with induction loop sensors, which allow vehicles stopped on

462-569: A reference to the fact that the historic Union Station had 14 tracks. The space will include a large central bar, a 10,000-square-foot outdoor event space, an entertainment space, and seating for "more than 300." A tentative opening of "late summer 2024" was announced, with a variety of local food vendors including seafood, burgers, craft beers, and Italian and Mexican cuisine. 41°49′33″N 71°24′48″W  /  41.8258°N 71.4133°W  / 41.8258; -71.4133 Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor ( NEC )

528-627: A short-lived Westerly-to-Providence service (which lasted until 1979) in addition to the MBTA's Providence-to-Boston service. Sunday service ended in October 1977 and off-peak and Saturday service ended in April 1979 due to Rhode Island's limited subsidies; rush-hour service ceased on February 20, 1981. In 1986, the Northeast Corridor through Providence was relocated north to free up land from

594-562: A suburban branch that would become a main line with the completion of the New York Connecting Railroad and its Hell Gate Bridge . The bridge opened on March 9, 1917, but was operated by steam with an engine change at Sunnyside Yard east of Penn Station until 1918. Electrification north of New Haven to Providence and Boston had been planned by the NH, and authorized by the company's board of directors shortly before

660-548: Is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak , it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C. , in the south, with major stops in Providence , New Haven , Stamford , New York City , Newark , Trenton , Philadelphia , Wilmington , and Baltimore . The NEC is roughly paralleled by Interstate 95 for most of its length. Carrying more than 2,200 trains

726-474: Is now called the Northeast Corridor was built, piece by piece, by several railroads constructed as early as the 1830s. Before 1900, their routes had been consolidated as two long and unconnected stretches, each a part of a major railroad. Anchored in Washington, D.C., the stretch owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad , approached New York City from the south, anchored at Boston, the stretch owned by

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792-473: The Northeast Regional – both of which run between Boston and Washington, D.C. Amtrak Thruway bus service connects Providence with Worcester and New Bedford . It is also served by MBTA Commuter Rail Providence/Stoughton Line commuter service, which runs between Wickford Junction and Boston. Providence is the southern terminus of some weekday service and all weekend service on the line. In

858-1005: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts bought the Attleboro/Stoughton Line in Massachusetts, later operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority . The same month, the New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority bought, and Connecticut leased, from Penn Central their sections of the New Haven Line , between Woodlawn , New York, and New Haven, Connecticut . In 1973, the Regional Rail Reorganization Act opened

924-466: The Hudson Line ; regular service began on December 11. Electric locomotives began serving Grand Central on February 15, 1907, and all NYC passenger service into Grand Central was electrified on July 1, 1907. NH electrification began in July to New Rochelle , August to Port Chester and October the rest of the way to Stamford. Steam trains last operated into Grand Central on June 30, 1908:

990-869: The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). LIRR electric service began in 1905 on the Atlantic Branch from downtown Brooklyn past Jamaica , and in June 1910 on the branch to Long Island City : part of the main line to Penn Station. Penn Station opened on September 8, 1910, for LIRR trains and November 27 for the PRR; trains of both railroads were powered by DC electricity from a third rail. PRR trains changed engines (electric to/from steam) at Manhattan Transfer ; passengers could also transfer there to H&M trains to downtown Manhattan. On July 29, 1911, NH began electric service on its Harlem River Branch :

1056-705: The New Haven Railroad , and entered New York State from Connecticut . The former terminated at New Jersey ferry slips across the Hudson River from Manhattan Island. The latter extended to the Bronx, where it continued into Manhattan via trackage rights on the New York and Harlem Railroad . It also reached the Bronx via the Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad , which extended to the Bronx from

1122-682: The New York Connecting Railroad , and the Hell Gate Bridge . Combined, these constituted a stretch that started just outside of Newark, New Jersey , on the Pennsylvania Railroad side, and connected with the Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad (and thus New Rochelle) on the New Haven side. With the opening of the Hell Gate Bridge in 1917, this final connecting stretch, and thus the Northeast Corridor itself,

1188-472: The Port Richmond section of the city, while entering a 50 mph (80 km/h) speed limited (but at the time non- ATC protected) 4° curve at 106 mph (171 km/h), killing eight and injuring more than 200 (eight critically) of the 238 passengers and five crew on board as well as causing the suspension of all Philadelphia–New York NEC service for six days. This was the deadliest crash on

1254-605: The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 . In December 1967, the UAC TurboTrain set a speed record for a production train: 170.8 miles per hour (274.9 km/h) between New Brunswick and Trenton, New Jersey . In February 1968, PRR merged with its rival New York Central Railroad to form the Penn Central (PC). Penn Central was required to absorb the New Haven in 1969 as a condition of

1320-612: The United States Department of Transportation committed $ 450 million to a six-year project to support capacity increases on one of the busiest segments on the NEC: a 24-mile (39 km) section between New Brunswick and Trenton , passing through Princeton Junction. The Next Generation High-Speed project is designed to upgrade electrical power, signal systems and overhead catenary wires to improve reliability and increase speeds up to 160 mph (260 km/h), and, after

1386-515: The 1980s. Electrification between New Haven and Boston was to be included in the 1976 Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act . The last grade crossings between New York and Washington were closed about 1985; eleven grade crossings remain in Connecticut. In the 1990s, Amtrak upgraded the NEC north of New Haven, CT to get it ready for the high-speed Acela Express trains. Dubbed

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1452-401: The 541 on board. The NEC is a cooperative venture between Amtrak and various state agencies. Amtrak owns the track between Washington and New Rochelle , New York , a northern suburb of New York City. The segment from New Rochelle to New Haven is owned by the states of New York and Connecticut; Metro-North Railroad commuter trains operate there. Amtrak owns the tracks north of New Haven to

1518-451: The MBTA. The FRIP track is used by Providence and Worcester Railroad freight trains, plus MBTA trains south of Providence station. Kennedy Plaza , the main hub for RIPTA bus service, is located one-quarter mile (0.4 km) to the south along Exchange Street. RIPTA routes R-Line , 3 , 4 , 51 , 54 , 58 , 66 , and 72 stop at the south side of Providence station on Park Row; routes 50 , 55 , 56 , and 57 stop on Gaspee Street on

1584-586: The NEC between Groton, Connecticut , and Hillsgrove, Rhode Island , but this clause was rejected the following month by the U.S. Railway Association . By April 1976, Amtrak owned the entire NEC except Boston to the RI state line, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and New Haven to New Rochelle, New York, which is owned by the States of Connecticut and New York. Amtrak still operates and maintains

1650-699: The NEC since the early 1980s, some sections still carry smaller local freights operated by CSX , Norfolk Southern , CSAO , Providence and Worcester , New York and Atlantic , and Canadian Pacific . CSX and NS partly own their routes. Long-distance Amtrak services that use the Northeast Corridor include the Cardinal , Crescent , and Silver Meteor trains, which reach 125 mph (201 km/h), as well as its Acela trains, which reach 150 mph (240 km/h) in parts of Massachusetts , Rhode Island , and New Jersey . Some express trains operated by MARC that reach 125 mph (201 km/h) also operate on

1716-697: The New Haven at New Rochelle . From 1903 to 1917, the two railroads undertook a number of projects that connected their lines and completed, in effect, the Northeast Corridor. These included the New York Tunnel Extension , which extended from New Jersey to Long Island (and was composed of the Manhattan Transfer station , the North River Tunnels , a new Pennsylvania Station , the East River Tunnels ),

1782-408: The Northeast Corridor are indicated using the following abbreviations. Other services are listed in the right-most column. Note that not all trains necessarily stop at all indicated stations. [REDACTED] DC Streetcar : H Street/Benning Road Line The entire Northeast Corridor has 11 grade crossings , all in southeastern New London County, Connecticut . The remaining grade crossings are along

1848-468: The Northeast Corridor since 16 died when Amtrak's Washington–Boston Colonial (TR#94) rear-ended three stationary Conrail locomotives at Gunpow Interlocking near Baltimore on January 4, 1987. Frankford Junction curve was the site of a previous fatal accident on September 6, 1943, when an extra section of the PRR's Washington to New York Congressional Limited derailed there, killing 79 and injuring 117 of

1914-548: The Northeast Corridor titled NEC FUTURE, and released the final environmental impact statement in December 2016. Multiple potential alignments north of New York City were studied. The proposed upgrades have not been funded. Eleven minutes after leaving 30th Street Station in Philadelphia on May 12, 2015, a year-old ACS-64 locomotive (#601) and all seven Amfleet I coaches of Amtrak's northbound Northeast Regional (TR#188) derailed at 9:21pm at Frankford Junction in

1980-401: The Northeast Corridor up to five hours. Railroad officials blamed Amtrak's funding woes for the deterioration of the track and power supply system, which in places is almost a hundred years old. These problems have decreased in recent years after tracks and power systems were repaired and improved. In September 2013, one of two feeder lines supplying power to the New Haven Line failed, while

2046-413: The Northeast Corridor. Acela can travel the 225 mi (362 km) between New York City and Washington, D.C., in under three hours, and the 229 mi (369 km) between New York and Boston in under 3.5 hours. In 2012, Amtrak proposed improvements to enable "true" high-speed rail on the corridor, which would have roughly halved travel times at an estimated cost of $ 151 billion. Most of what

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2112-505: The Northeast High Speed Rail Improvement Program (NHRIP), the effort eliminated grade crossings , rebuilt bridges and modified curves. Concrete railroad ties replaced wood ties, and heavier continuous welded rail (CWR) was laid-down. In 1996, Amtrak began installing electrification gear along the 157 miles (253 kilometres) of track between New Haven and Boston. The infrastructure included

2178-729: The PRR Main Line (now the Keystone Corridor ). Electric service to Chestnut Hill (now the Chestnut Hill West Line ), including a stretch of the NEC, began on March 30, 1918. Local electric service to Wilmington, Delaware , on the NEC began on September 30, 1928, and to Trenton, New Jersey , on June 29, 1930. Electrified service between Exchange Place , the Jersey City terminal, and New Brunswick, New Jersey , began on December 8, 1932, including

2244-476: The U.S. Department of Transportation to facilitate mutual cooperation and planning and to advise Congress on Corridor rail and development policy. The commission members include USDOT, Amtrak and the Northeast Corridor states. In October 2010, Amtrak released "A Vision for High-Speed Rail on the Northeast Corridor," an aspirational proposal for dedicated high-speed rail tracks between Washington, D.C., and Boston. Many of these proposals are unfunded. In August 2011

2310-590: The Union Station Brewery. The center-most building of Union Station now houses the Rhode Island Foundation , which leases space to The Public's Radio , RI Kids Count, and Women's Fund RI. A $ 23.5-million investment to develop Rhode Island's first food hall in the station was begun in 2022, by a local developer who purchased the building from The Rhode Island Foundation. The 18,000-square-foot food hall will be named Track 15 ,

2376-542: The United States entered World War I . This plan was not carried out because of the war and the company's financial problems. Electrification north of New Haven did not occur until the 1990s, by Amtrak, using a 60 Hz system. In 1905, the PRR began to electrify its suburban lines at Philadelphia: an effort that eventually led to 11 kV, 25 Hz AC catenary from New York and Washington. Electric service began in September 1915, with multiple unit trains west to Paoli on

2442-448: The border between Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The final segment from the border north to Boston is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. At just over 453 miles (729 km), the Northeast Corridor is the longest electrified rail corridor in the United States. Most electrified railways in the country are for rapid transit or commuter rail use; the Keystone Corridor is the only other electrified intercity mainline. Currently,

2508-515: The corridor uses three catenary systems. From Washington, D.C., to Sunnyside Yard (just east of New York Penn Station), Amtrak's 25 Hz traction power system (originally built by the Pennsylvania Railroad) supplies 12 kV at 25 Hz. From Sunnyside to Mill River (just east of New Haven station), the former New Haven Railroad's system , since modified by Metro-North, supplies 12.5 kV at 60 Hz. From Mill River to Boston,

2574-518: The deadline after which steam trains were banned in Manhattan. Subsequently, all NH passenger trains into Manhattan were electrified. In June 1914, the NH electrification was extended to New Haven , which was the terminus of electrified service for over 80 years. The PRR was building its Pennsylvania Station and electrified approaches, which were served by the PRR's lines in New Jersey and

2640-431: The edge of Exchange Place , the structure was the largest railroad station in the United States the time of its construction. The building has also been dubbed longest building in the country at the time, though this assertion is disputed. In 1885, American Architect and Building News voted the building one of the 20 best buildings in the country. 20th century architectural historian Henry-Russell Hitchcock wrote of

2706-530: The electrification of passenger trains was complete, with 639 daily trains: 191 hauled by locomotives and the other 448 under multiple-unit power. New York–Washington electric freight service began on May 20, 1935, after the electrification of freight lines in New Jersey and Washington,DC. Extensions to Potomac Yard across the Potomac River from Washington, as well as several freight branches along

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2772-399: The extension of Penn Station electric service from Manhattan Transfer. On January 16, 1933, the rest of the electrification between New Brunswick and Trenton opened, giving a fully-electrified line between New York and Wilmington. Trains to Washington began running under electricity to Wilmington on February 12, 1933, with the engine-change moved from Manhattan Transfer to Wilmington. The same

2838-506: The forethought of the designers in planning for the revitalization of Providence's downtown, saying that "[i]ts design accommodated the complex geometries of a circulation pattern oriented toward the Capitol and a structure aligned with the tracks, while its splayed plan opened out to what was then an imagined city, one that Providence eventually made happen." Providence station is served by two Amtrak intercity routes – Acela Express and

2904-477: The grand scale that was possible when Union Station was built in 1898, the station has been positively received by critics. The project received a citation in the 1983 Progressive Architecture Awards. Local architectural historian William McKenzie Woodward lauded the building for its aesthetics, calling its saucer dome "an obvious yet very gracious gesture toward the State House". In 2010, Architect praised

2970-493: The latter one were renovated and the building contains offices and restaurants. The original Union Station was Providence's first, opening in 1848 to accommodate the needs of the newly thriving city. This building was designed by 21 year old Rhode Island architect, Thomas Alexander Tefft in the Lombard Romanesque style. Construction of the station was supervised by Tallman & Bucklin . Extending 720 feet along

3036-562: The lines leading from Grand Central Terminal and the split at Mott Haven , using a third rail power system devised by Frank J. Sprague . Electricity was in use on some branch lines of the NYNH&;H for interurban streetcars via third rail or trolley wire . An accident in the Park Avenue Tunnel near the present Grand Central Terminal that killed 17 people on January 8, 1902, was blamed on smoke from steam locomotives ;

3102-520: The merger. On September 21, 1970, all New York–Boston trains except the Turboservice were rerouted into Penn Station from Grand Central; the Turboservice moved on February 1, 1971, for cross-platform transfers to the Metroliners. In 1971, Amtrak began operations, and various state governments took control of portions of the NEC for their commuter transportation authorities. In January,

3168-431: The much newer 60 Hz traction power system supplies 25 kV at 60 Hz. All of Amtrak's electric locomotives can switch between these systems . In addition to catenary, the East River Tunnels have 750 V DC third rail for Long Island Rail Road trains, and the North River Tunnels have third rail for emergency use only. In 2006, several high-profile electric-power failures delayed Amtrak and commuter trains on

3234-531: The new Acela Express trainsets and the Bombardier–Alstom HHP-8 locomotives. On December 11, 2000, Amtrak began operating its higher-speed Acela Express service. Fastest travel time by Acela is three and a half hours between Boston and New York, and two hours forty-five minutes between New York and Washington, D.C. In 2005, there was talk in Congress of splitting the Northeast Corridor, which

3300-596: The north side of the station. Providence's first railroad station was built in 1835 by the Boston and Providence Railroad at India Point. The Providence and Stonington built a depot at Crary Street in South Providence in 1838, and the two were soon connected by a ferry service. The first through service stopped at Union Station, a brick edifice built in 1847 by the Providence & Worcester , Providence & Stonington, and Boston & Providence Railroads. It

3366-507: The opportunity to dismantle the "Chinese Wall" of train tracks that hemmed in Providence's central business district and moved MBTA and Amtrak service to a new, smaller Providence station about a half mile north in 1986. Union Station caught fire in April 1987 amidst $ 11 million in renovations, forcing a change of plans. Parts of the original station have now been renovated and the building contains offices and restaurants, including

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3432-679: The other feeder was disabled for service. The lack of electrical power disrupted trains on Amtrak and Metro-North Railroad , which share the segment in New York State. There are 109 active stations on the Northeast Corridor; 30 are used by Amtrak. All but three ( Kingston , Westerly , and Mystic ) see commuter service. Amtrak owns Pennsylvania Station in New York, 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Penn Station in Baltimore, and Union Station in Washington. The main services of

3498-806: The portion in Massachusetts, but the line from New Haven to New Rochelle, New York , is operated by the Metro-North Railroad , which has hindered the establishment of high-speed service. In 1976, Congress authorized an overhaul of the system between Washington and Boston. Called the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project (NECIP), it included safety improvements, modernization of the signaling system by General Railway Signal , and new Centralized Electrification and Traffic Control (CETC) control centers by Chrysler at Philadelphia, New York and Boston. It allowed more trains to run faster and closer together, and set

3564-527: The purchase of new equipment, up to 186 miles per hour (299 km/h). In September 2012, speed tests were conducted using Acela trainsets, achieving a speed of 165 miles per hour (266 km/h). The improvements were scheduled to be completed in 2016, but, due to delays, the project had not been completed until 2020. In 2012, the Federal Railroad Administration began developing a master plan for bringing high-speed rail to

3630-514: The resulting outcry led to a push for electric operation in Manhattan . The NH announced in 1905 that it would electrify its main line from New York to Stamford, Connecticut . Along with the construction of Grand Central Terminal , which was opened in 1913, the NYC electrified its lines. On September 30, 1906, the NYC conducted a test of suburban multiple unit service to Highbridge station on

3696-614: The stage for later high-speed operation. NECIP also introduced the AEM-7 locomotive, which lowered travel times and became the most successful engine on the Corridor. The NECIP set travel time goals of 2 hours and 40 minutes between Washington and New York, and 3 hours and 40 minutes between Boston and New York. These goals were not met because of the low level of funding provided by the Reagan Administration and Congress in

3762-575: The station in Pawtucket , opened in 2006, allowing the MBTA to increase service to the city. Service was further extended to T.F. Green Airport in December 2010 and to Wickford Junction in April 2012. Additionally, some game-day service to Foxboro has run from Providence since 1997, as well as from 1971 to 1973. Special trains run for New England Patriots football games as well as some New England Revolution soccer games and college sporting events. The first revenue Acela Express service to Providence

3828-486: The station, "without much question it was the finest early station in the New World." As the city continued to grow, so too did the need for terminal space, ultimately resulting in the paving over of the remnants of the city's inland bay in 1890. The question of what to do with the now undersized station was spontaneously answered on February 21, 1896 when the building suffered a catastrophic fire that effectively gutted

3894-481: The structure. A much larger Union Station was opened in 1898, clad in distinctive yellow brick, which the Providence Journal heralded as "a new era of history of this city". The station was designed by the firm of Stone, Carpenter & Willson , which had also designed other Providence buildings. Though rail use was expected to grow, by the 1980s rail traffic had dropped 75 percent. City planners saw

3960-590: The way for Amtrak to buy sections of the NEC not already been sold to these commuter transportation authorities. These purchases by Amtrak were controversial at the time, and the Department of Transportation blocked the transaction and withheld purchase funds for several months until Amtrak granted it control over reconstruction of the corridor. In February 1975, the Preliminary System Plan for Conrail proposed to stop running freight trains on

4026-678: The way, were electrified in 1937 and 1938. The Potomac Yard retained its electrification until 1981. In the 1930s, PRR equipped the New York–Washington line with Pulse code cab signaling . Between 1998 and 2003, this system was overlaid with an Alstom Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES) , using track-mounted transponders similar to the Balises of the modern European Train Control System . The ACSES will enable Amtrak to implement positive train control to comply with

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4092-475: Was complete. With the 1968 creation of Penn Central , which was a combination of those two railroads and the New York Central Railroad, the entire corridor was under the control of a single entity for the first time. After successor Penn Central’s 1970 bankruptcy, the corridor was almost entirely subsumed by the subsequently-created Amtrak on May 1, 1971. In 1899, William J. Wilgus , the New York Central Railroad (NYC)'s chief engineer, proposed electrifying

4158-682: Was designed by 21-year-old architect Thomas Alexander Tefft . The building was lost to fire in 1896 and was replaced by a larger Union Station , completed in 1898 by the New Haven Railroad . It consisted of five large brick structures, which still form the northern side of Kennedy Plaza in the center of Downtown Providence. Amtrak has served Providence since its inception in 1971, with Northeast Corridor trains from Boston to New York and Washington. Local commuter service - both intrastate service and service to Boston - has been intermittent during this era. After Penn Central discontinued its New London-to-Boston commuter train in 1972, Rhode Island sponsored

4224-429: Was done on April 9, 1933, for trains running west from Philadelphia, with the change point moved to Paoli. In 1933, the electrification south of Wilmington was stalled by the Great Depression , but the PRR got a loan from the Public Works Administration to resume work. The tunnels at Baltimore were rebuilt as part of the project. Electric service between New York and Washington began on February 10, 1935. On April 7,

4290-446: Was on December 11, 2000, concurrent with the expansion of MBTA service. In August 2019, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded RIDOT up to $ 12.5 million for a 'major rehabilitation' of the station. The $ 25 million project is also funded by RIDOT ($ 5.25 million) and Amtrak ($ 7.25 million). Union Station (Providence) Union Station describes two distinct, defunct train stations in Providence , Rhode Island . Parts of

4356-427: Was opposed by then-acting Amtrak president David Gunn . The plan, supported by the Bush administration, would "turn over the Northeast Corridor – the tracks from Washington to Boston that are the railroad's main physical asset – to a federal-state consortium." With the passage of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 , the Congress established the Northeast Corridor Commission (NEC Commission) in

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