By Representative Grant of Beverly and Senator Tolman, joint petition (accompanied by bill, 3496) of Mary E. Grant and others for legislation to preserve the right of way for the North/South rail link. Transportation.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PETITION OF:

Mary E. Grant

Michael S. Dukakis

Kay Khan

Steven A. Tolman

Robert A. DeLeo

Anthony J. Verga

Christine E. Canavan

Elizabeth A. Malia

John D. Keenan

Peter V. Kocot

Douglas W. Petersen

Barbara A. L'Italien

Frank I. Smizik

John W. Scibak

Carl M. Sciortino, Jr.

Ruth B. Balser

Alice K. Wolf

Patricia D. Jehlen

Michael E. Festa

Walter F. Timilty

Matthew C. Patrick

Pamela P. Resor

Bruce E. Tarr

John P. Fresolo

William N. Brownsberger

Steven J. D'Amico

Susan C. Fargo

Cynthia S. Creem

Cory Atkins

Benjamin Swan

Stephen Kulik

James M. Murphy

Tom Sannicandro

Denise Provost

Robert S. Creedon, Jr.

Joyce A. Spiliotis

Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.

Cleon H. Turner

Martin J. Walsh

Byron Rushing

Antonio F. D. Cabral

William Lantigua

James B. Eldridge

Colleen M. Garry

Alice Hanlon Peisch

Brian A. Joyce

Thomas P. Kennedy

Martha M. Walz

Jennifer M. Callahan

Lida E. Harkins

Edward M. Augustus, Jr.

John A. Hart, Jr.

James RePass

John Businger

Daniel Lauzon

George J. Newman

Richard J. Arena

Anne Paulsen

Paul J. McNally

Ken MacLean

George T. Casey

Thomas Concannon

Peter G. Christie

James B. McCaffrey

Robert G. Bradford

Joseph J. Bevilacqua

Molly McKay

Wayne E. Davis

James Fiorentini

Brad Bellows

Robert Crowley LeBlanc

Peter J. Griffin

Joe Dart

Ross B. Capon

Daniel J. Wilson

Francois - L.Nivaud

Jeff Monroe

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In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

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An Act to preserve the right of way for the North South Rail Link.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 1 of chapter 161C of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding after the last sentence the following sentence:–

Furthermore, to carry out the purposes of this section, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shall preserve intact the right of way for the proposed North South Rail Link.  This right of way is extremely vulnerable to the impact of development and redevelopment around the existing rail tracks and terminals.  In addition, rail projects already in planning and construction phases will exceed the capacity of the South Station terminal. Preservation of the right of way for the North South Rail Link will assure that rail transportation can be enhanced or expanded in our region.

SECTION 2.  Chapter 161C, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after section 7 the following section:–

Section 8. This section requires the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through its executive office of transportation and construction, in consultation with the Massachusetts turnpike authority, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to perform a study to specifically identify and map the necessary right of way to allow for the construction of the proposed North South Rail Link connecting North Station to South Station.  This study must include particular reference to the Major Investment Study/Draft Environmental Impact Report (EOEA#10270), prepared under the aegis of the executive office of environmental affairs which was concluded on March 31, 2003.  A plan to preserve said right of way, once identified, shall be determined and implemented immediately.