thumb|A 1910 map showing nearly the maximum extent of Rhode Island's railroads
As of February 2022, a total of five railroads operated in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Freight services are largely operated by the Providence and Worcester Railroad, which interchanges with the state's only other freight railroad, the Seaview Transportation Company, a switching and terminal railroad serving the Port of Davisville. Passenger service is provided along Rhode Island's portion of the Northeast Corridor by Amtrak, supplemented by MBTA Commuter Rail service from Wickford Junction northbound towards Boston. Rhode Island is also home to one heritage railroad, the Newport and Narragansett Bay Railroad, which operates excursions on a segment of track on Aquidneck Island which is disconnected from the rest of the United States rail network.
Freight carriers
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Name
!Reporting Mark
!Image
!Predecessor(s)
!Starting Year
!Description
!Owner
!Reference
|-
|Providence and Worcester Railroad
|PW, PWRZ
|100x100px|P&W light engines at Pawtucket station
|
|1844 (originally)
1973 (current system)
|Originally founded in 1844, was leased by the New Haven in 1892 but continued to exist as a company. Split from NH successor Penn Central in 1973. Took over all Conrail operations in Rhode Island in 1982. Has trackage rights on the Northeast Corridor, in addition to owning its main line from Providence to the Massachusetts state line and a branch to East Providence.
|Genesee & Wyoming
|
|-
|Seaview Transportation Company
|SVTX
|alt=|100x100px|Davisville Road Quonset
|United States Navy
|1978
|Formed in 1978 to continue freight service for customers in and around Quonset Point Air National Guard Station, formerly operated by the United States Navy. Serves a major industrial park, interchanges with the Providence and Worcester.
|Independent
|
|}
Passenger carriers
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Name
!Reporting Mark
!Image
!Predecessor(s)
!Starting Year
!Description
!Owner
!Reference
|-
|Amtrak
|AMTK
|100x100px|Avelia Liberty Slocum RI
|Penn Central
|1971
|National intercity passenger railroad of the United States. Took over intercity passenger service from Penn Central starting May 1, 1971. As of February 2022, operates the Northeast Regional and Acela in Rhode Island.
|Federal government of the United States
|
|-
|MBTA Commuter Rail
|MBTX
|100x100px|Train arriving at Wickford Junction station, June 2013
|Penn Central
|1976
|The MBTA began subsidizing Rhode Island service on the Providence/Stoughton Line in 1976, and purchased the line's rolling stock from Penn Central that year. As of February 2022, service operates to and from Boston to a southern terminus at Wickford Junction.
|Massachusetts Department of Transportation
|
|}
Defunct railroads
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Name
!Mark
!System
!From
!To
!Successor
!Description
!Reference
|-
|Boston, Hartford and Erie Railroad
|
|NH
|1865<!--or earlier?-->
|1874
|New York and New England Railroad
|
|
|-
|Boston and Providence Railroad
|
|NH
|1834<!--or did the Massachusetts company do anything in RI before then?-->
|1888
|New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
|-
|Consolidated Rail Corporation
|CR
|
|1976
|1982
|Providence and Worcester Railroad
|Inherited Penn Central's operations in Rhode Island; all Rhode Island lines were sold to P&W in 1982.
|
|-
|Fall River, Warren and Providence Railroad
|
|NH
|1862
|1892
|Old Colony Railroad
|-
|Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad
|
|NH
|1849
|1879
|New York and New England Railroad
|-
|Moshassuck Valley Railroad
|MOV
|
|1874
|1982
|Providence and Worcester Railroad
|-
|Narragansett Pier Railroad
|NAP
|NH<!--leased it in 1918-->
|1868
|1981
|N/A
|-
|New England Railroad
|
|NH
|1895
|1908
|New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
|-
|New York and Boston Railroad
|
|NH
|1853<!--or earlier?-->
|1865
|Boston, Hartford and Erie Railroad
|-
|New York and New England Railroad
|
|NH
|1873
|1895
|New England Railroad
|-
|New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
|NH
|NH
|1893
|1969
|Penn Central Transportation Company
|-
|New York, Providence and Boston Railroad
|
|NH
|1832
|1893
|New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
|-
|New York, Providence and Boston and Old Colony Railroad Terminal Company
|
|NH
|1891
|1904
|Providence Terminal Company
|-
|Newport and Fall River Railroad
|
|NH
|1846
|1863
|Old Colony and Newport Railway
|-
|Newport and Wickford Railroad and Steamboat Company
|
|NH
|1870
|1909
|New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
|-
|Old Colony Railroad
|
|NH
|1872
|1947
|New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
|-
|Old Colony and Newport Railway
|
|NH
|1863
|1872
|Old Colony Railroad
|-
|Pawtuxet Valley Railroad
|
|NH
|1868
|1907
|New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
|-
|Penn Central Transportation Company
|PC
|
|1969
|1976
|Consolidated Rail Corporation
|-
|Pontiac Branch Railroad
|
|NH
|1875
|1885
|New York, Providence and Boston Railroad
|-
|Providence and Bristol Railroad
|
|NH
|1850
|1852
|Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad
|-
|Providence and Plainfield Railroad
|
|NH
|1846
|1851
|Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad
|-
|Providence and Springfield Railroad
|
|NH
|1872
|1905
|New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
|-
|Providence Terminal Company
|
|NH
|1904
|1906
|New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
|-
|Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad
|
|NH
|1852
|1947
|New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
|-
|Rhode Island Company
|
|NH<!--it was a New Haven subsidiary-->
|1902
|1919<!--?-->
|United Electric Railways<!--?-->
|Primary an electric railway company; leased the Narragansett Pier Railroad from 1911 to 1918
|
|-
|Rhode Island Central Railroad
|
|NH
|1879
|1880
|New York, Providence and Boston Railroad
|-
|Rhode Island and Massachusetts Railroad
|
|NH
|1872
|1907
|New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
|-
|Rhode Island Mining Railroad
|
|NH
|1865
|1872
|Rhode Island and Massachusetts Railroad
|-
|Seekonk Branch Railroad
|
|NH
|1836
|1839
|Boston and Providence Railroad
|Was located in what was part of Massachusetts before the boundary was moved in 1862
|
|-
|Warren and Fall River Railroad
|
|NH
|1856
|1862
|Fall River, Warren and Providence Railroad
|-
|Warwick Railroad
|
|NH
|1873
|1880
|New York, Providence and Boston Railroad
|Built a railroad from Cranston to Oakland Beach, shut down in 1879 and taken over by the NYP&B as a subsidiary.
|
|-
|Warwick Railway
|WRWK
|
|1949
|1982
|Providence and Worcester Railroad
|Took over the former Warwick Railroad line from United Electric Railways in 1949. Operated electric locomotives until 1952, provided freight service on a 1 mile length of track until 1982.
|
|-
|Wickford Railroad
|
|NH
|1864
|1870
|Newport and Wickford Railroad and Steamboat Company
|-
|Wood River Branch Railroad
|
|NH
|1872
|1947
|N/A
|Abandoned outright, with no successor.
|
|-
|Woonasquatucket Railroad
|
|NH
|1857
|1872
|Providence and Springfield Railroad
|-
|Woonsocket and Pascoag Railroad
|
|NH
|1887
|1907
|New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
|-
|Woonsocket Union Railroad
|
|NH
|1850
|1853
|New York and Boston Railroad
|}
;Electric
- Bay State Street Railway
- Fall River and Stone Bridge Street Railway
- Groton and Stonington Street Railway
- Middletown and Portsmouth Street Railway
- Newport and Fall River Street Railway
- Newport and Providence Railway
- Newport Street Railway
- Norwich and Westerly Railway
- Old Colony Street Railway
- Pawcatuck Valley Railway
- Pawtucket Street Railway
- Providence Cable Tramway Company (also a cable-car line)
- Providence and Danielson Railway
- Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad
- Rhode Island Company
- Rhode Island Suburban Railway
- Sea View Railroad
- Union Railroad
- United Electric Railways
- Warwick Railway
;Not completed
- Southern New England Railway
Bibliography
Notes
References
See also
- List of railroad lines in Rhode Island (a list of all corridors that have existed, not dealing with ownership changes)