IN PROGRESS: Metro Centre Plaza | T.F. Green Station

[Frankie811]

Now we just need Woonsocket service to add 8 more trips and we'll have some sweet commuter rail service connecting the southern suburbs to the city.

Wasen't there talk in the forum some time ago about extending CT commuter rail service to RI? I want to say Shore Liner for some reason.

[basachs]

These 8 round trips...are these roundtrips to Boston and back to Wickford? Or just from Wickford to Providence? Is this in addition to the current schedule?

Right now the T has 15 roundtrips to Boston from Providence during the week, 9 on Saturday and 7 on Sunday...

[Cotuit]

These 8 round trips...are these roundtrips to Boston and back to Wickford? Or just from Wickford to Providence? Is this in addition to the current schedule?

I believe they are southern extensions of 8 of the 15 current Boston trips. That had been the plan at least.

[basachs]

I would hope they would add some more cars to the trains then. In the morning, the Providence and So Attleboro stops basically fill up the train.

[Baines]

This is great news from the article.

[mental757]

the added costs for an automated people mover wouold have killed the project that has already been a decade in the making.

[Cotuit]

If there were many terminals at Green I could see the need for a tram type service to connect the train to the many terminals and the train station, but it is just an A to B connection. The expense to build and maintain the tram is not justifiable. Why can't building the train station suffice as the grand gesture? We'll be one of precious few cities in the US that have this rail connection. People movers are falling out of favor due to their service costs. The people mover at Wellington Station on the T is coming out as an example. The moving sidewalks are sufficient and I would argue better, instead of waiting for a tram, I can just hop on the sidewalk on demand. The people mover at Wellington always annoyed me to no end because it always seemed like I had just missed it, then I stood there watching it go thinking how I could walk to the station faster if they had just built a simple bridge.

I'm happy we're getting the skywalk, the alternative was to simply run shuttle buses from point A to point B, how annoying would that have been?

[Bil]

In 1997, I wrote an article for my school newspaper about the train station. I think it said something like "When I fly home from college next year the first change to Warwick I'll see is the new train station at TF Green being built..."

Good times.

[mental757]

so what you're saying is that it's a little behind schedule?

I simply can't wait for this thing to get going. I can promise all of you that I'll have frequent pics until it's DONE!!

[Garris]

Why can't building the train station suffice as the grand gesture? We'll be one of precious few cities in the US that have this rail connection.

I absolutely agree... The moving sidewalks are fine... This project can't happen fast enough.

Slightly off topic, what are the other US cities with rail to downtown access? Off the top of my head, I can list:

- Boston

- New York (but it's long and a real pain)

- Philadelphia

- Minneapolis

- Portland

What others?

- Garris

[Gusterfell]

^I'm pretty sure Baltimore/Washington Int'l is on the Amtrak line, but no others come to mind. Is Reagan National connected to the metro system, as close to the city center as it is?

[Frankie811]

I absolutely agree... The moving sidewalks are fine... This project can't happen fast enough.

Slightly off topic, what are the other US cities with rail to downtown access? Off the top of my head, I can list:

- Boston

- New York (but it's long and a real pain)

- Philadelphia

- Minneapolis

- Portland

What others?

- Garris

http://www.panynj.gov/airtrainnewark/

[Garris]

^I'm pretty sure Baltimore/Washington Int'l is on the Amtrak line, but no others come to mind. Is Reagan National connected to the metro system, as close to the city center as it is?

Oh yes, I forgot Reagan. It's actually one of the most convenient (I just used it last month). So the list is:

- Boston

- New York (I included Newark in the NY metro...)

- Philadelphia

- Minneapolis

- Portland

- Washington DC (Reagan, Balt/Wash)

Anywhere else?

- Garris

[Lone Ranger]

Details aside, this is obviously a great list to be on.

[Garris]

How's this then: one of only two airports in the country to be served by a high-speed rail line?

I had thought only the MBTA, and not Amtrak, was stopping at the station?

- Garris

PS: So is this the final list?

- Boston

- Chicago (added from post below)

- New York (I included Newark in the NY metro...)

- Philadelphia

- Minneapolis

- Portland

- San Francisco

- St Louis (added from post below)

- Washington DC (Reagan, Balt/Wash)

Soon:

- Providence

- Seattle

A great list to be on indeed! Although, in fairness, some of these cities' service to the downtown is far more frequent than ours will be...

[webbage]

My pipe dream is RIPTA buying a couple of train cars and running constant shuttles to the station.

[mental757]

Shore Line East, Amtrak Regional, and even a TBD operator (P&W??) could all someday provide more service.

[Cotuit]

I believe only BWI and Newark currently have Amtrak service (including Acela), Providence would be the 3rd (Amtrak and/or Acela may or may not stop at TF Green though).

Newark has Amtrak and NJTransit Service via AirTrain Transfer.

BWI Has MARC Commuter Rail, Amtrak, and Baltimore Lightrail airport service. Amtrak and MARC service is via shuttle buses to the terminal.

Green would be the only airport where one could step off an Amtrak train and walk directly to the terminal.

Add to the list, Chicago has subway service to both O'Hare and Midway.

[mental757]

St. Louis has direct light rail service from Lambert to downtown too, but no Amtrak or Commuter rail that I kow of.

[Gary_Kreie]

St. Louis has direct light rail service from Lambert to downtown too, but no Amtrak or Commuter rail that I kow of.

St. Louis has Amtrak service including multiple trains to Chicago each day, as well as Kansas City, and service to Texas via the Texas Eagle.

Also, St. Louis is just finishing construction of the new Multi-Modal center downtown near Union Station and the Scottrade Center on I-64 to link Metrolink Light Rail, Amtrak, City Buses, and Inter-City Bus Routes in one central terminal.

[webbage]

St. Louis has Amtrak service including multiple trains to Chicago each day, as well as Kansas City, and service to Texas via the Texas Eagle.

Also, St. Louis is just finishing construction of the new Multi-Modal center downtown near Union Station and the Scottrade Center on I-64 to link Metrolink Light Rail, Amtrak, City Buses, and Inter-City Bus Routes in one central terminal.

I think he meant train service from STL...

[mental757]

yes, we are talking about types of rail/transport between airports and downtowns/city center, etc.

[mr2448]

I had thought only the MBTA, and not Amtrak, was stopping at the station?

- Garris

PS: So is this the final list?

- Boston

- Chicago (added from post below)

- New York (I included Newark in the NY metro...)

- Philadelphia

- Minneapolis

- Portland

- San Francisco

- Washington DC (Reagan, Balt/Wash)

Soon:

- Providence

- Seattle

A great list to be on indeed! Although, in fairness, some of these cities' service to the downtown is far more frequent than ours will be...

Ft. Lauderdale has a shuttle to the Tri Rail service that runs between Miami and West Palm Beach. Which in turn connects you to the Miami Metro System. I am not sure if there are shuttles from WPB or MIA to the Tri Rail service.

[mental757]

I know the rail runs right next to route 95, which is just east of the PBI airport - I don't think there is a rail link from the PBI terminal though...

[r c nelson]

Ft. Lauderdale has a shuttle to the Tri Rail service that runs between Miami and West Palm Beach. Which in turn connects you to the Miami Metro System. I am not sure if there are shuttles from WPB or MIA to the Tri Rail service.

There is a bus shuttle that takes passengers from the last stop on Tri Rail to the Miami Airport. About a 5-10 minute ride.