Overview
In response to transportation conditions, there are two notable railway programs that have been proposed. The first of these is the East-West Rail Project, which aims to connect Boston to Springfield across a 151 mile passenger-rail corridor.192 The East-West Rail Study, which was completed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) in 2020, considered six potential ways to complete a passenger rail corridor, involving different methods such as upgrading rail tracks, bus service from Pittsfield to Springfield, and using the I-90 corridor. The report eventually narrowed in on three final alternatives that would provide Springfield to Boston service in under two hours and service from Pittsfield to Boston in approximately three hours.193 Overall, the cost for such a project could be between $2 billion and $5 billion.194 Even though there is a large price tag, there is support for the project among federal, state, and local officials in Western Massachusetts.195
Another rail project focused on Western Massachusetts is the Northern Tier Rail Project, which aims to connect Boston to Greenfield and North Adams via passenger rail service. This project is likely to begin study in 2021.196
These projects are shown in Figure 23 below with the Northern Tier project, currently being studied by MassDOT,197 highlighted in yellow running from Boston to North Adams and the East-West rail corridor in green and framed by red running from Boston to Pittsfield.198 There are also ongoing discussions at the federal level to invest $22 billion in grants to Amtrak, $24 billion to modernize Northeast Corridor railways, and $12 billion for intercity rail service199 that could potentially benefit a host of projects in Massachusetts relative to transportation.
Figure 23—East-West Rail and Northern Tier Rail Corridors
