Former stations The
Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P) opened a new route from East Junction (near
Hebronville in Attleboro) to Providence via
Pawtucket in October 1847 to serve the new
Union Station in downtown Providence. There was no station at the modern site, which was not in a populated area during the 19th century; the nearest stations were at Hebronville to the east and to the west. The B&P was acquired in 1888 by the
Old Colony Railroad, which was in turn acquired by the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893. Commuter service returned to Providence on February 1, 1988, but the Pawtucket–Central Falls station remained closed. The MBTA built ramps and "mini-high" platforms (short sections of high-level platforms) at an additional cost of $1 million in mid-1989. After a judge ruled in favor of the MBTA, the two agencies reached an agreement in March 1990 under which existing mini-high platforms would be extended to long, and accessible platforms would be installed at all commuter rail stations by 1997 (which did not occur). South Attleboro station ultimately opened on July 30, 1990. The MBTA began operating Providence– service for events at
Gillette Stadium in 1997, with South Attleboro as one of the intermediate stops. South Attleboro station was the southern terminus of regular weekend service on the line until June 29, 2006, when
Rhode Island began funding weekend service to .
Reconstruction In the 2010 Northeast Corridor Master Plan, Amtrak indicated long-term plans to add two outer station sidings and high-level platforms to South Attleboro, allowing Amtrak trains to pass stopped MBTA trains. More immediately, portions of the station were in poor condition, with a 2012 report indicating that two sets of stairs were closed due to rust damage. Although the station had mini-high platforms for level boarding, certain accessible-required elements such as tactile platform edges were missing. MBTA plans for a $4.9 million renovation, which would not have fixed the footbridge, were criticized by local officials in 2019. That November, $4 million for design of a more extensive renovation was approved by the MBTA Fiscal Management Board. The project will include full-length high-level platforms, a new footbridge with elevators, an improved bus stop, and changes to the parking lot. Some repairs were considered to be made in the interim. On February 26, 2021, the station was closed due to deterioration of the overpass. By March 2021, the reconstruction was expected to cost $48 million, of which only $7 million had been funded; the existing station was expected to reopen in April. However, in May 2021 the MBTA indicated that the station would remain closed until the reconstruction project was complete. Design reached 75% completion in September 2021 and 100% in April 2022. By January 2023, funding for the station had not yet been approved. In July 2022, the MBTA indicated that the old footbridge would be removed that fall. Early construction was expected to last through February 2023. However, demolition work did not actually begin until April 17, 2023. Only a small portion was removed before work was paused "due to procedural issues". Demolition work resumed in late September and was completed on October 14. A new
Pawtucket/Central Falls station opened in January 2023. The MBTA reopened South Attleboro station with "limited peak-hour service" – three daily round trips using only the north platform – on May 20, 2024. Parking at the station was made free (versus the usual rate of $6 daily) from October 1, 2024, to April 1, 2025, in an attempt to attract ridership. The station averaged just 19 daily boardings in November 2024 versus 1,144 in October 2018. ==Bus connections==