Around Town

Ride the Rails From Wickford to Providence

So Rhode Island Magazine ·

What’s better than skipping traffic to get to downtown Providence? Doing it for free. Now through the end of the year, RIDOT will be offering free train rides from Wickford Junction to T.F. Green and Providence. There will be ten round-trips Monday through Friday – no ticket needed. RIDOT decided to offer the rides free of fare to encourage more people to take advantage of the train service, helping them avoid Route 4 traffic and the hassle of parking in downtown Providence.

“Rhode Island ranks on the bottom when it comes to the percentage of travelers who use transit as opposed to cars, yet we have the infrastructure and train service to make it easy for people to get around our state without a car,” says RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, Jr.

While the free ride only takes you to Providence, travelers can purchase tickets to continue on to Boston and save a few bucks from the first leg of the trip. Our very own PVD, however, will be the hotspot for activity this summer, with Wickford Junction serving as a gateway to weekly performances by the Nightlife Orchestra on Federal Hill, WBRU’s free Summer Concert Series and Food Truck Fridays at Roger Williams Park Zoo. There will also be special events to check out this month, like Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (August 8-13) and NecronomiCon, the celebration of RI’s own HP Lovecraft (August 17). Spending the summer in the city just got a whole lot easier – and cheaper.

so rhode island, megan schmit, ridot, rhode island department of transportation, Peter Alviti Jr, wickford, wickford junction, mbta, providence, providence train station