Stops 3 | Status Planned | |
Predecessor The passenger rail service provided by Penn Central on tracks owned by the Providence and Worcester Railroad Start Worcester Union Station | ||
The Boston Surface Railroad Company (BSRC) is a planned private commuter rail line between Worcester, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island on trackage planned to be owned by the Genesee & Wyoming, currently owned by the Providence and Worcester Railroad (PW).
The company was formed in 2014 by Vincent Bono, when it began a feasibility study for operating three trains daily over the route, with a single intermediate stop in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The estimated initial budget is between $3 and $5 million, largely for building a platform at Worcester Union Station, building a single passing siding, and the purchase and refurbishment of three locomotives and twelve passenger cars. The project will be privately financed, and will use a mix of money from investors and commercial credit.
By August 2015, the feasibility study had been completed, and the company had agreed to a memorandum of understanding with the PW for the use of its trackage and had submitted a safety plan to the Federal Railroad Administration. It had begun negotiating with the PWRR for a final trackage rights agreement pending identification of all infrastructure improvements required, and had also begun work on an agreement with Amtrak for access into Providence. In September 2016, the operation won approval from the Surface Transportation Board.
In 2016 the Rhode Island Department of Transportation leased the Woonsocket Depot in Woonsocket to the BSRC to by used by the company as a hub for the line. Later in 2016, the company moved its headquarters to the depot.
Planned operations
The railroad plans to begin operation in 2018 with two round trips over the line each day, with morning trains traveling southbound and evening trains northbound, and a total trip time of between 65 and 70 minutes. On-board amenities are planned to include wireless Internet access and assigned seating via an electronic ticketing system. It expects to initially attract about 600 passengers per day, with ridership rising in following years. Service might begin in 2017 between only Providence and Woonsocket with service to Worcester to be added the following year.