$25M Secured to Rehab Providence Train Station

$25M Secured to Rehab Providence Train Station

Providence’s train station is set to receive $25 million in funding to rehab the facility.

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The funding package includes $12.5 million from a federal grant which will be matched by $7.25 million from Amtrak and $5.25 million from RIDOT to upgrade Providence Station.

The project will add interior space to the station by enclosing the triangular outdoor patio area near the clock tower.  Plans to revamp the station also include: making better use of existing space within the station; enhancing security by giving Amtrak police a more accessible location within the station; expanding and upgrading bathrooms; and improving pedestrian access to and from Providence Place Mall, where many commuters park. 

On Monday,  U.S. Senator Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee, announced a new $25 million package of funding to begin a major renovation of the Providence Station.  The new station improvements will help ensure that Providence Station provides safe, convenient, and reliable service and amenities to travelers for decades to come.

“Right now, this station handles more than one and a half million passenger trips a year.  Those numbers demand a station that is modern, clean, safe and efficient.  Thanks to the incredible leadership of Senator Jack Reed, now we have the chance to deliver just such a station,” said RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, Jr.

A major transportation hub, Providence Station ranks 11th out of over 530 Amtrak stations nationwide for ridership.  According to RIDOT, the preservation and modernization of Providence Station will benefit roughly two million annual intercity and commuter rail riders.

The station is a critical component to Rhode Island’s economy as thousands travel daily from the Providence station via the MBTA to work in Boston.