Boston and Providence Railroad
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Reporting mark | NH (NYNH&H) |
| Locale | Boston, MA to Providence, RI |
| Dates of operation | 1834– |
The Attleboro/Stoughton Line is a line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system running southwest from Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The main line was originally built by the Boston and Providence Railroad, and now carries service during the week between Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, and weekend service to South Attleboro. The Stoughton Branch, built as the Stoughton Branch Railroad, splits at Canton Junction and runs for two more stations to Stoughton, Massachusetts.
History
The Boston and Providence Railroad was incorporated June 21, 1831 and chartered the next day to build a railroad between Boston and Providence, Rhode Island. Construction began in late 1832. The first section, from Boston to Canton, with a branch to Dedham opened in 1834, and the rest opened in June 1835. Until 1899, when South Station opened, the Boston terminal was at Park Square, with a crossing at-grade of the Boston and Worcester Railroad at the current merge at Back Bay station (also opened in 1899, only serving the B&P). The original Providence terminal was at Fox Point, from which it ran east along the Seekonk River shore and over the river into East Providence (then part of Seekonk, Massachusetts) before turning north towards Boston. A ferry across the Providence River connected Fox Point to the South Providence terminal of the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad (opened 1837).
In 1847 the Providence and Worcester Railroad opened its line between downtown Providence and Worcester, Massachusetts. At the same time, the B&P built a connection west from its main line in southern Attleboro to the P&W in Central Falls. The B&P and P&W jointly owned the line south of Central Falls into downtown Providence. (In 1854 the NYP&B connected its line south of downtown Providence to downtown, removing the gap through Providence.)
On April 1, 1888, the Old Colony Railroad leased the B&P for 99 years. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad leased the Old Colony on March 1, 1893 and assumed the lease. The New Haven used the B&P as part of its main Boston-New York Shore Line, and it still has that status, as part of the route of Amtrak's Acela Express.
When Boston's new South Station union station opened in 1899, a new line was built along the south side of the Boston and Albany Railroad to the new station, located near the B&A's old terminal. The old line to Park Square was abandoned.
The East Side Railroad Tunnel opened in 1908 between East Providence and downtown Providence. This provided a second route into Providence, using the old alignment to East Providence and then running through the tunnel. The tunnel is no longer in use, having been disconnected on the downtown side.
On December 31, 1968 the recently-formed Penn Central bought the failing New Haven. The MBTA bought the section of the Providence-Boston line in Massachusetts, as well as many other lines including the Stoughton Branch, from Penn Central on January 27, 1973. On April 1, 1976 Conrail took over Penn Central and the commuter rail equipment was sold to the MBTA, though operation continued to be done by Conrail. Full subsidies by the MBTA for the Providence and Stoughton lines began on September 28, 1976, before which the Federal government helped. On March 31, 1977 the Greater Attleboro-Taunton Regional Transit Authority and Rhode Island Department of Transportation began to subsidize service beyond the MBTA district, and Stoughton began to pay to keep its station open, that cost later going to the Brockton Area Transit Authority.
On November 3, 1979 the line was closed north of Readville for long-term reconstruction as part of the Southwest Corridor project. All trains began using what is now the Fairmount Line, and special shuttle trains connected South Station to Back Bay. The new line, rebuilt below grade with space for three tracks (the old one had been above grade with room for four tracks), opened on October 5, 1987.
On February 20, 1981 the MBTA stopped serving Rhode Island, as funding from the state stopped. Rush-hour service was restored on February 1, 1988. Some off-peak weekday trains were extended to Providence starting on December 11, 2000.
Branches
- Dedham
The first branch was the Dedham Branch to Dedham from Readville, opened in 1834 with the first section of the railroad. The Norfolk County Railroad opened in 1849, continuing from Dedham to the southwest. In 1850 a second branch to Dedham opened from Forest Hills, forming a loop through Dedham. Another outlet for the Dedham Branch opened in 1906, with a connection west to the New England Railroad at Needham Junction. The Dedham Branch from Forest Hills to that connection is still in use as the Needham Branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail, but the rest of the Dedham loop has been abandoned.
- Stoughton
The Stoughton Branch Railroad was incorporated April 16, 1844 as a branch of the B&P from Canton Junction to Stoughton. It opened in early 1845, and is still in use for passenger service as a branch of the main line to Attleboro and Providence.
- Easton
The Easton Branch Railroad was incorporated in 1854 and opened in 1855 as a continuation of the Stoughton Branch beyond Stoughton. In 1865 the Old Colony and Newport Railroad bought the line and incorporated the majority of it into its main line.
- Taunton
The Taunton Branch Railroad was incorporated in 1835 to build a branch from the B&P in Mansfield to Taunton, opening in 1836. The branch was operated by the B&P until 1840, when the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad opened, continuing the line past Taunton.
In 1870 the Mansfield and Framingham Railroad opened, continuing the Taunton Branch northwest on the other side of the B&P. A connection between the Taunton Branch northwest of Taunton and the B&P in Attleboro opened in 1871, having been built by the Taunton Branch.
- Attleborough
The Attleborough Branch Railroad also opened in 1870, running from the B&P in Attleboro northwest to North Attleborough. It was leased to the B&P, and was later connected to a branch of the Old Colony Railroad system in 1890.
- Moshassuck Valley
The Moshassuck Valley Railroad was chartered in 1874 and opened in 1876 as a branch from the joint B&P/P&W at Woodlawn, Rhode Island north to Saylesville. The company remained independent until 1981, when it was bought by the P&W.
- Seekonk
The Seekonk Branch Railroad was a short spur on the east side of the Seekonk River, running from the B&P south to a dock on the river. It was incorporated in 1836 and opened soon after, with the hope that the company would be able to run its own trains over the B&P as with a highway. As a result of this, the Massachusetts State Legislature passed a law that a railroad company could refuse any traffic on its road, and the company was a failure. The B&P bought it in 1839, and the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad built a line beginning from it in 1855.
- Warren, Bristol and Fall River
The Providence and Bristol Railroad was incorporated in 1850 and 1851, and reorganized in 1852 as the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad. That line opened in 1855 from the old Seekonk Branch in East Providence southeast to Warren and south to Bristol. It was owned by the B&P through a majority of stock, and directly leased the the Old Colony Railroad in 1891.
The Warren and Fall River Railroad was incorporated in Rhode Island in 1856, and the Fall River and Warren Railroad in Massachusetts in 1857. In 1860 the two were merged to form the Fall River, Warren and Providence Railroad, opening later in 1860 from Warren east to Somerset, across the Taunton River from Fall River. In 1875 a new bridge opened, connecting to the Old Colony Railroad in Fall River. At that time, the company was leased by the Old Colony; before that it had been controlled by the B&P.
Accessibility
All stations but Sharon are handicapped accessible. See also MBTA accessibility.
Station listing
South of Providence, the T. F. Green Airport station is planned on the old New York, Providence and Boston Railroad in Warwick.
Stoughton Branch
| State | Milepost | City | Station | Opening date | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA | 0.0 | Canton | File:Accessible.png Canton Junction | splits from main line to Attleboro | |
| 0.6 | File:Accessible.png Canton Center | ||||
| 18.3 (~4) | Stoughton | File:Accessible.png Stoughton | continued as Easton Branch |