Providence/Stoughton Line

Providence/Stoughton Line
An inbound Providence/Stoughton Line train approaching Canton Junction in April 2016
Overview
OwnerMBTA (within Massachusetts)
Amtrak (within Rhode Island)
LocaleSoutheastern Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Termini
Stations18
Websitewww.mbta.com/schedules/CR-Providence
Service
SystemMBTA Commuter Rail
Train number(s)800–841, 860–893 (weekday)
1800-1819 (Saturday)
2800-2819 (Sunday)
Operator(s)Keolis North America
Daily ridership17,648[1]
Technical
Line length62.9 miles (101.2 km) (South Station–Wickford Junction)
18.9 miles (30.4 km) (South Station–Stoughton)[2]
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Route map

0.0 mi
0 km
South Station
Silver Line (MBTA) Red Line (MBTA) MBTA Commuter Rail Amtrak
1.2 mi
1.9 km
Back Bay
Orange Line (MBTA) MBTA Commuter Rail Amtrak
Massachusetts Avenue
2.2 mi
3.5 km
Ruggles
Orange Line (MBTA) MBTA Commuter Rail
Roxbury Crossing
Jackson Square
Stony Brook
Green Street
Forest Hills
Orange Line (MBTA)
6.5 mi
10.5 km
Mount Hope (closed 1979)
8.4 mi
13.5 km
9.5 mi
15.3 km
11.4 mi
18.3 km
Route 128
Amtrak
14.8 mi
23.8 km
Canton Junction
Stoughton Branch
15.6 mi
25.1 km
Canton Center
18.9 mi
30.4 km
Stoughton
17.9 mi
28.8 km
Sharon
24.7 mi
39.8 km
Mansfield
31.8 mi
51.2 km
Attleboro
36.8 mi
59.2 km
South Attleboro
39.5 mi
63.6 km
Pawtucket/​Central Falls
43.6 mi
70.2 km
Providence
Amtrak
51.9 mi
83.5 km
T. F. Green Airport
T.F. Green Airport
62.9 mi
101.2 km
Wickford Junction

The Providence/Stoughton Line is an MBTA Commuter Rail service in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, primarily serving the southwestern suburbs of Boston. Most service runs entirely on the Northeast Corridor between South Station in Boston and Providence station or Wickford Junction station in Rhode Island, while the Stoughton Branch splits at Canton Junction and terminates at Stoughton. It is the longest MBTA Commuter Rail line, and the only one that operates outside Massachusetts. The line is the busiest on the MBTA Commuter Rail system, with 17,648 daily boardings in an October 2022 count.

The portion between Boston and Providence was originally built by the Boston and Providence Railroad between 1834 and 1847. The portion south of Providence was built by the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad in 1837, while the Stoughton Branch was built by the Stoughton Branch Railroad in 1845. The lines were acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in the 1890s.

The MBTA began subsidizing service in the 1960s, and purchased the infrastructure and rolling stock from Penn Central in 1973. Service was cut back to Attleboro in 1981, but rush-hour service returned as far as Providence in 1988 under an agreement with the state of Rhode Island. Off-peak service to Rhode Island resumed in 2000. An extension south from Providence opened to T. F. Green Airport in 2010 and to Wickford Junction in 2012. All stations have been made accessible with high-level platforms. Newer stations like T.F. Green Airport, as well as stations shared with Amtrak, largely have full-length high level platforms; older stations have mostly been retrofitted with "mini-high" platforms one car length long.

  1. ^ Poftak, Steve (October 27, 2022). "GM Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. p. 6.
  2. ^ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.