by juni0r75
mental757 wrote: I agree that Kingston is a no-brainer - there is room for a 3rd track on the west side of the 2 Amtrak mainlines that could accomodate CR.When I was a student about 10 years ago at URI Kingston, I was very interested in the station there because it was (in the words of the local stationmaster) the last rural station of the pre-NH type that was in use on the former Providence and Stonington Railway (built in 1874...I think its been a loooonngg time).
Anyway, the point I wanted to raise is that when the overpass for RI 138 was built in 1936-8, it was purposly built to bridge 3 and possibly 4 tracks. At that time, there were active sidings in regular use for Arnold Lumber on the Fairground Road side (opposite the station) and for a layover / transfer for the former Narragansett Pier RR which terminated there and ran via Wakefield to Narr. Pier village (as an aside, the tracks for the NPRR terminated in what is now the parking lot with for a time it's own plaforms.The last time I was there, the hole which held the former turntable was still visable with an explanation sign!). Before the post-war decline in the NH, there were three tracks in regular use at Kingston.
After the station restoration, there were three tracks under the overpass, and one access road to the station (which means that you don't have to cross traffic on 138 to get into the station!).
When the cantiary was installed in the 90's across the farmland north of the 138 overpass, it was put up using gantries which gives enough clearance for the sidings (which were still in limited use then) to connect to the mainline. It also continues on gantries for another half mile or so south of the station to allow for the potential third track to rejoin the mainline.
I remember speaking with the stationmaster about the possibility of CR service via the MBTA and he said that when the station was restored (after a devestating fire in the mid 80's), the station was moved back to fit the Acella service, cantiary gantries and make room for a planned footbridge to the southbound (rail downline I think) side which as he said was necessary for the Acella and also for CR. Also, the parking lot that was built was specifically intended for commuter service and its funding came from a different federal program than the funds to restore the station and move it back from the trackside.
The long and shot of it is that the station's restoration and configuration of the electrification means that there is no reason why a third platform couldn't be built there to enable a CR train to stop and allow the higher speed regional services to pass and/or an MBTA train to be stabled overnight for a morning run or turmback.
