The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has announced that it is doubling service to this year's Rhode Island National Guard Open House and Air Show. This year there will be six roundtrips from Providence and T.F. Green stations, and Wickford Junction Station for the first time.
Last year's debut service saw approximately 1,400 people board the train on the first day of the show and nearly 2,400 board the second day.
The Seaview Railroad typically only carries automobiles or cargo loads used by tenants of the Quonset Business Park. Today there are more than 200 companies and nearly 11,000 employees at the Park, while Quonset's Port of Davisville is one of the Top Ten auto importers in North America.
"We are excited to once again work with RIDOT, Seaview Transportation, the Rhode Island Air National Guard, the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, and MBTA to continue the Trains to Planes program," said Steven J. King, Managing Director of the QDC. "We're pleased to be able to highlight the tremendous growth at Quonset. This program will allow the community to see the first-class rail service that supports our tenants," he added.
Trains to Planes was orchestrated across several state agencies including the Quonset Development Corporation, Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT), the R.I. National Guard, the National Guard Association of Rhode Island, and the Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC). Seaview Transportation, Amtrak and the MBTA were also instrumental in the program's success.
To see the schedule for this year's Trains to Planes service and to learn more, click here.