Ten years later, train station is thriving

By Mark N. Schieldrop/Independent Staff Writer

NARRAGANSETT — In the 10 years since Kingston Station underwent a major restoration, ridership has ballooned from 50,000 passengers annually to more than 150,000.

As Amtrak’s high-speed Acela trains rocket through the station each day and riders walk through the glass-lined sky bridge over the tracks, it’s hard to visualize the sad state Kingston Station was in during the late 1980s and early ‘90s.

A fire ravaged the station in 1988, and with low ridership, no parking and aging facilities, Amtrak was considering tearing the station down.

Today, the station is busier than it has ever been, the station building stands as an example of historic railroad architecture, cyclists whiz on and off the nearby William C. O’Neill Bike Path and the Friends of Kingston Station – which led the restoration effort 10 years ago – is ready to celebrate the station’s continued growth and success.

On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Friends of Kingston Station, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, state officials, Amtrak officials, railroad buffs and residents will descend on the station for a celebration to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the station’s major renovation project.

Frank Heppner, chairman of the Friends of Kingston Station, said the day will be fun-filled and informative and especially exciting for people, especially children, who want to see an Acela train blast through the station at top speed.

“We’re going to time it so that one of the high-speed trains is going through the station at full speed right before the full speakers program,” Heppner said. “Senator Reed will call the train as it comes through the station like a race announcer. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

The station will be “all fixed up” for the event, Heppner said, and guided tours of the railroad museum located inside the station building will be conducted throughout the day. On display will be model railroads, photographs depicting South County’s long history with the railroad, and even a high rail truck – a standard truck fitted with train wheels so it can drive on the tracks.

With more than 1,000 guests expected, Heppner said that attendees will be asked to park in the American Power Conversion parking lot on Fairgrounds Road. A shuttle bus will carry people to and from the event.

The Friends of Kingston Station is a group of like-minded volunteers who share an interest in trains and railroads. The group was established 30 years ago to advocate on behalf of the station.

The first restoration took place in 1974. Volunteers chipped paint and “crawled all over the station” to improve the station’s appearance.

Heppner said the group had the foresight to get the station placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s. This act spared the station an untimely demise after the 1988 fire, when Amtrak, looking for the cheapest route possible, contemplated demolishing it.

The Friends of Kingston Station stepped in and “made Amtrak an offer they couldn’t refuse,” Heppner said, and committed themselves to raising a large portion of the costs to repair and improve the entire station.

Along with moving the station back from the tracks to make way for high-speed trains, the group convinced the state Department of Transportation to increase the parking capacity to more than 200 spaces and create an overflow parking lot.

“They thought we were nuts,” Heppner said. “They said people didn’t ride the train anymore and we’d be lucky to get 200 spaces.”

Even today, many people don’t realize how busy the station has become and find themselves out of luck after arriving 10 minutes before a train is due expecting to buy a ticket.

“They pull in, the lot is full, they panic, they leave their car on the sidewalk and find the train had been sold out for a week,” Heppner said. “One of the messages we’ll be trying to distribute is that it ain’t the old days and a lot of people do ride the trains and you have to book in advance.”

The group led a study recently to see how inexpensive and efficient train travel out of Kingston Station really is.

The study compared how long it takes and how much it costs to take a train directly from Kingston to downtown Manhattan as opposed to driving to Providence to take the train or to T.F. Green Airport in Warwick to board a plane.

With each choice ending up in New York within 10 minutes of each other, the route from Kingston Station was the cheapest by far at $94.

To take the train from Providence, factoring in parking and the extra fare for the Acela express train out of the city, the total cost was $220. Driving to T.F. Green and taking the plane to LaGuardia Airport and then taking a taxi to Manhattan cost a whopping $540.

“I’d leave it up to you which is the most rational method,” Heppner said.

Along with Senator Reed, a band will be performing music at the celebration. Rep. James Langevin, DOT Director Michael Lewiss and representatives from Operation Lifesaver also will be in attendance.

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