Public Hearing Notice  Western Massachusetts Passenger Rail Commission Meeting

Please be advised that Representative William Straus and Senator Brendan Crighton, co-chairs of the Western Massachusetts Passenger Rail Commission, have announced the first of six public meetings of the Commission, which are being held pursuant to §60 of Chapter 176 of the Acts of 2022. The legislature established this commission to investigate and receive public testimony concerning potential public entities with the ability to design, permit, construct, operate and maintain passenger rail service proposals from the East-West Passenger Rail Study Final Report.

The meeting is scheduled for December 9, 2022, at 11 a.m. at the Berkshire Innovation Center in Pittsfield. Members of the public wishing to view and participate in the meeting remotely may do so by accessing a livestream of the meeting by clicking on the Zoom Webinar link below. Additionally, if you wish to submit written testimony, please email commission staff at: Siobhan.Morrissey@mahouse.gov.

A sign-in sheet at the hearing location will be made available for those persons who wish to address the Commission in-person. Members of the public attending remotely may click on the "raise hand" icon during the public comment period of the hearing, which will signify to the Commission that they wish to be heard virtually. Alternatively, remote attendees may also type their name in the "Q& A" box to be added to the list of speakers. Please note that Zoom Webinar attendees will join in listen-only mode. They will be automatically muted and will not appear on video for the hearing. When a remote attendee is called on to address the Commission, the meeting organizer will unmute them for the purpose of providing their testimony.