New Pawtucket Commuter Rail Station
In the spring of 2016, the MBTA and RIDOT announced plans to construct a new MBTA Commuter Rail station in Pawtucket, RI. This project will be funded by the state of Rhode Island and a federal grant, and the projected cost of the project will be $40 million. This will be an added stop on the Providence Commuter Rail line between South Attleboro and Providence. Studies show this station will attract 1,500 to 1,900 riders daily by the year 2030.
1916 Pawtucket-Central Falls Station
Just north of the newly planned station, you will find the abandoned Pawtucket-Central Falls Station built in 1916 by the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad. This over 30,000 square foot brick and granite structure sits above what is known today as Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. The station has two levels; the upper level housed the 96’ by 64’ waiting room along with a barber shop, restaurant, ticket office, and baggage areas. The lower level is the outdoor track level with two island platforms providing access to all four tracks. After serving communities for over 40 years (1959) the station was closed due to disrepair. Passengers only had access to the platforms until 1981 when the MBTA stopped servicing this station altogether. Four years later, the building almost had a second chance and was considered as a National Register of Historic Places, but the building was in too much disrepair. Nearly 60 years later, this station is still vacant and unused.
Can it be saved?
This building sits above one of the busiest rail passenger corridors in the Northeast and is falling apart with no hope of repair. I didn’t follow the whole development of building a new station, but I wonder if this historical building was even considered an option. $40 million just seems like a lot of money to build a parking lot, two platforms, and an overhead bridge. The Worcester, MA Union Station was in a very similar situation, having been abandoned in 1974 due to disrepair. In 2000, the station reopened after a $32 million renovation. The Worcester Station is nearly double the size of the Pawtucket-Central Falls Station. This makes me wonder if this building could be saved from its ruined state. I was able to find some photos of the station interior online, and it seems to be untouched by vandals. This station is truly forgotten yet it’s in the wide open and passed under by thousands of commuters every day, not to mention that it’s sitting in a busy Pawtucket neighborhood. I really hope this station can be restored and can be used in some way to preserve its history.
I was able to find these Interior Photographs online.
