Keep in mind battery trains were only conceptually proposed last summer and no contracts were finalized. The actual bill recommends full system electrification instead of hybrid electrification

Not in terms of commuter rail electrification, he did cancel the procurement of diesel multiple units in 2015

The legislation effectively resurrects the 2019 fiscal control board service delivery plan for electrification that was later shelved when that board was dissolved. With a new governor and big shakeups looming over the MBTA, I can see how politicians want to get this plan on track and move away from the short-sighted hybrid concept.

That being said, the legislation is very half-baked and infeasible, especially regarding the electrification deadlines for 2024. Even if EMUs are ordered in the next 1 to 2 years, the T has no facilities that can maintain or receive electric regional trains; leasing interim electric locomotives from Amtrak is also difficult since they’re already stretched thin for motive power on the NEC. Likewise, the Providence/Stoughton line station sidings are not electrified past providence and requires a substantial amount of infrastructure installation (also forget about electrifying Newburyport/rockport or Fairmount by 2024, even in a perfect world that’s unrealistic for the MBTA).

While I don’t think this bill will go anywhere, I’m certain a lot more similar bills will be submitted over the coming months.

It’s the Brito house, an abandoned house that’s kept up as a monument to the former owners by the son. When I was little there were several urban legends that the house was actually a mausoleum- allegedly the caskets were never buried but were kept in the parlor of the house. And no, that isn’t true for obvious reasons

For those who don’t know, this guy is Frank Hassle, a local menace from RI/south coast MA area. You may recognize him as the dude who Boogie2988 almost shot a few years back. He’s collaborated several times with Sam Hyde who’s from Fall River

Light rail should absolutely be a priority… it’s embarrassing that RI lacks any form of rail transit outside of the NEC

The original station site was actually considered about a decade ago, however, the curvature of the NEC made it impossible to construct high-level platforms at the former station site

The line didn’t use trolleys, it used self-propelled electric heavy-rail carriages (similar to that of a conventional subway) that had a much higher speed and capacity than standard trolley cars. At its peak in the 1920s-30s the New Haven Railroad ran headways as frequent as every 8 minutes at rush hour

Ah yes! RIPTA does run on old trolley/interurban routes, but the providence-Warren-Bristol-fall River route was entirely electrified heavy-rail! It was a unique system for RI!

In the 1930s, you could’ve taken a direct electric train from Fall River to Providence! Most of that former rail line is now the East Bay Bike Path/Warren bike path. It’s quite sad to think that at one point RI basically had a metro system… now it’s entirely gone

Ultimately, the station is a long-overdue win for Pawtucket. RIDOT should shift its focus to modernizing local transit connections... light rail should absolutely be considered moving forward, it is quite embarrassing that RI lacks any form of rail transit beyond the NEC. That being said, the previous plan for a dedicated right-of-way LRT between Central Falls and Olneyville should be considered.

Gasbarro’s in Seekonk (yes, I consider Seekonk a part of RI lol) usually never disappoints, solid selection of liqueurs. They’ve got a location in Attleboro too

The light rail line is actually proposed to run between central falls and Olneyville along a dedicated ROW. That being said, I doubt it will ever happen since RIDOT’s priorities are entirely bus centric and they refuse to do anything else. Providence could greatly benefit from an LRT if it is done properly, it’s kind of ridiculous that RI doesn’t have any other form of rail transit beyond the NEC

Agreed, SA station was always quite atrocious but did serve a rider base. Hopefully when it’s rebuilt they could zone some of the area around it for denser mixed-used developments so that it’s not purely a antiquated park and ride

Unfortunately, the MBTA has a lackluster history of designating temporary station platforms during reconstructions… I doubt it will happen for south Attleboro

The station will be greatly beneficial, however, a lot more has to be done with regional “last mile” connections… that’s what will matter most in the end

The one your referring to is wickford junction, one of the biggest white elephants in recent Rhode Island history. Wickford junction cemented the failure of the south county commuter rail project, mainly due to inadequate transit planning…

It should be utilized much better than wickford junction, the station is in a much denser area and isn’t as overbuilt

Many studies have been conducted, some of which suggested extending the Franklin line through Milford to Woonsocket. There’s definitely a rider base in that area, but much of the trackage would need to be rebuilt for passenger services

South Attleboro was a death trap, it was a built during the cookie-cutter era of MBTA stations during the 1970s-1980s

Unfortunately, that's the nature of most rail projects in the US, where unsustainable highway infrastructure is prioritized while passenger rail is given the short end of the stick...

The restoration of passenger service on the P&W mainline has been considered many times, but unfortunately has never developed into anything substantial. I think RIDOT is studying the corridor yet again atm but I doubt it'll go anywhere

Personally, I think it's absolutely crazy that within the same amount of time it took RIDOT to build a single station, MassDOT has constructed most of South Coast Rail which includes miles of new track and six new stations...

I will probably post something soon, I did not want to post anything on it last summer since I didn’t want vandals to get any ideas

McCoy is abandoned, I explored it last summer and it’s already in a dismal state. Sections of the grandstand roofing had collapsed, and there was extensive water damage in the team locker rooms with mold throughout. It was really sad to see the park in that state… I can only imagine how bad it is now