Wickford Junction Averaging 150 Riders Per Day

Wickford Junction is slowly gaining ridership in South County.

It’s been more than a month since the first purple and gray commuter rail train made its way into Wickford Junction on April 23. According to transportation officials, ridership has been slow but steady during that time with an average of 150 riders per day. “It’s certainly not unexpected, especially entering into the summer season with people talking more about vacations less about work trips,” said Stephen Devine, chief of Intermodal Planning at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation. Devine added that transit services tend to see slow growth, as evidenced by the opening of the commuter rail service in Providence in 1988. “We only had about 150 to 200 people per day for a couple of years when we first opened Providence,” said …

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VIDEO: Full Steam Ahead For Wickford Junction

The MBTA commuter rail is officially running out of Wickford Junction.

Despite the cold, damp and blustery weather, hundreds came out Monday for the grand opening of the long-awaited commuter rail station at Wickford Junction. A ceremonial first train left Providence Monday morning, bound for Wickford Junction and carrying Gov. Lincoln Chafee, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, Reps. James Langevin and David Cicilline and more. Many passengers on the train were friends of Bob Cioe, the man behind the dream of bringing rail service back to Wickford. The journey has been a long one for Cioe, owner of the Wickford Junction plaza, who bought the land 30 years ago. Gathering in the four-story parking garage at Wickford Junction, the crowd heard remarks from the governor, the congressional delegation, Rhode …

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Ditch the Car, Grab the Bike for Wickford Junction Grand Opening

The West Bay Family YMCA is organizing a group bike ride to the grand opening of Wickford Junction.

If you're planning to attend grand opening of the Wickford Junction Commuter Rail but don't want to go alone, we may have just the answers. Dust off your bike and helmet and join a group ride down to the station. The West Bay Family YMCA is organizing a group bike ride to the train station on Monday, April 23. The group ride will help support the Healthy Places by Design’s biking and walking project plan – which looks to improve connectivity in town using biking and walking paths. “A bike ride to a train station is our way to show the connectivity,” said Doug MacLean of the North Kingstown Planning Department. The ride will start at Wilson Park, following Ten Rod Road and ending at Wickford Junction. According to MacLean, this stretch of …

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Renee Pierre

8:36 pm on Saturday, April 21, 2012

Although I am a daily bicycle commuter, I'm going to pass on this ride. I'm just not feeling it in the rain! Too bad this ride can't be held on a nicer day.   more ›

Five Things To Know Today

5 Things: Chicks, Swimming & Wickford Junction

Five things to know for April 20.

1.  The chicks are invading. Head over to the North Kingstown Free Library as Casey Farm's "Project Chick" returns Friday. Learn about the chickens raised down at Casey Farm. (And yes, live chicks swill be available for petting.) Space is limited to please pre-register by calling 401-294-3306 ext. 5. Starts at 2 p.m. Friday. 2.  Stop by the West Bay YMCA today for a free kids swim. As part of Splash Week (dedicated to helping children in the community ages three to nine years old learn to swim), the YMCA will be hosting sessions today at 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Krystina Roll at kroll@gpymca.org or call 401-295-6501.  You can also visit: Splash Week. 3.  Monday is the big day…

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Grand Opening of Wickford Junction to Attract Federal, State Officials

The US Secretary of Transportation, Governor Chafee and others will help usher in the grand opening of Wickford Junction next Monday.

MBTA Schedule For Wickford Junction

MBTA has released the official commuter rail schedule for Wickford Junction.

Starting April 23, 2012, commuters will have a new way to get to Providence and Boston. Wickford Junction will become the newest MBTA commuter rail station, running Monday through Friday. Click here for the complete schedule. Commuter trains will bring passengers from Wickford to Warwick, Providence and Boston Monday through Friday – offering 20 trips per day. According to DOT officials, travel time to Warwick will be about 15 minutes, to Providence will be 35 minutes and to Boston’s South Station will be just less then two hours. Tickets are half price for seniors and those with physical disabilities. Kids 11 years and younger are free when accompanied by a paying adult. Monthly passes for unlimited travel to Providence ($89) are also …

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DOT to Formally Announce Start of Wickford Commuter Rail Service

The state Department of Transportation will formally announce the start of a commuter rail station at Wickford Junction on Thursday.

All Aboard in April for Wickford Junction

The long-awaited Wickford Junction Train Station is set to open in April.

On a sunny March day, Wickford Junction Train Station welcomed its first commuter train to its newly-finished platform. It was just a test run, but it was a long-awaited sight for the Cioe family. Proprietors of the Wickford Junction plaza, the Cioes have dreamt of a train station in town for decades since they bought the land in 1982. But for patriarch Bob Cioe, it’s a vision he’s had since 1959. Attending college in Boston while living in Rhode Island to save money, Cioe would take the 99 New Haven every day to and from class – doing his homework or catching up on sleep during the commute. And he loved it. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is anticipating the station to be up and running the week of April 23, complete with …

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Chamber Seeking New Executive Director Amidst Changes

The North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce has a new strategic plan and initiatives for the future.

  Expect to see a more active North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce this year, as the organization looks to innovate its approach to fostering business in town. According to Chamber Chairman Toby Aaron, the chamber has re-crafted its vision for the future to focus more on economic development and collaboration with the Town of North Kingstown, Quonset Business Park and Wickford Junction (where a commuter rail station is slated to open April 23) to attract more business to the area. “The chamber wants to take a more active role in the whole community,” said Aaron. “The chamber needs to think bigger. It needs to do bigger and broader things and bring more awareness to North Kingstown.” Part of that restructuring will be replacing the former …

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Ed Renehan

12:20 pm on Friday, March 16, 2012

Right on!   more ›

Wickford Junction Ahead of Schedule

Trains could be rolling into North Kingstown by April 1.

Construction at Wickford Junction Plaza is ahead of schedule, tracks are being laid and trains could be rolling into North Kingstown as early as April 1. The bulk of the $22-million project being built by Manafort Brothers Inc. of Plainfield, Conn., should be done by the end of this year, according to Robert Cioe, owner of Wickford Junction on Ten Rod Road. Workers are applying asphalt inside the shopping center adjacent to the new station and landscapers have begun their work on the property. Amtrak is ahead of schedule laying track into the station, he said, raising hopes the project could wrap up as much as a month sooner than expected. "We were originally talking April 30, so we're right where we need to be," Cioe said. "We're …

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Rob Cioe

4:42 pm on Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Mike - we've been waiting for firm dates from RIDOT & MBTA. Still the tentative date to start trains is April 23rd. I will also be updating our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/wickfordjunction with contuing updates as we get closer to the opening. IF you "like" the page on facebook, you should be able to see the updates. Thanks, Rob   more ›