How far off were state and local officials in their projections for commuter-rail demand between North Kingstown and Providence? Free service the state began offering in July south of Providence through the end of the year tells the disappointing story.
When the Wickford Junction Station and garage in North Kingstown were built in 2012 for $44.7 million, daily ridership was expected to reach 1,500 passengers by 2020. Before the free service began, the number of people taking the train from that stop to Providence each day had steadily fallen to 119. Daily boardings at a commuter-rail stop at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick have similarly declined.
Cheap gas and inconsistent service, including no weekend trains, are at least partly to blame. But the state, to its credit, recognizes it needs to do more than offer free promotions.
Transportation officials are considering privatizing service between North Kingstown and Providence. Some of the $6.6 million the state now spends on commuter rail tied to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority service to Boston could be dedicated to a company concerned, for now, only with operating efficiently and cost-effectively between Wickford Junction and Providence.
If the state can save money on that, it could then consider adding weekend service and even new stops south of the capital, including to Quonset Business Park. Both moves could finally bring ridership near those outdated 2020 projections and give the state a return on the costly Wickford Junction investment.
