Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Wins $3.5 Million in Federal Funding for West-East Rail

Boston — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today celebrated $3.5 million secured by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to continue advancing West-East Rail. This federal funding was awarded to the Rail and Transit Division, through the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Corridor Identification and Development Program (Corridor ID). It will be used to support the Boston-Albany Corridor Service Development Plan (SDP), which is an essential step in expanding and enhancing train service connecting Boston and Albany, New York, through Springfield.

“We are full steam ahead on building West-East Rail, and this latest federal funding win brings us one step closer to delivering this for Massachusetts,” said Governor Maura Healey. “I’m grateful for the hard work of our MassDOT team to secure this funding. Together, we’re going to expand rail service across the state to improve commutes, reduce congestion and usher in new housing and economic development opportunities.”

“We know that rail service is transformative not only for our residents and visitors, but also for our businesses and local economies,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “MassDOT has been making important progress with our federal, state and local partners to deliver West-East Rail, and this funding will help us build on that.”

“I’m pleased to join the Healey-Driscoll Administration in celebrating yet another milestone in the advancement of West-East Rail. With the Corridor ID Program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, much of which was drafted in the Ways and Means Committee during my time as chairman, I take great pride knowing that Massachusetts continues to benefit from our historic legislative achievement,” said Congressman Richard Neal. “I’m grateful to Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, who continue to prioritize West-East rail. There is significant demand for improved and expanded passenger rail service, an initiative that promises to strengthen regional connectivity, stimulate new housing opportunities, and spur economic development throughout the Commonwealth.”

“West-East Rail is on the way with this latest $3.5 million grant, and I am proud to have worked with Governor Healey and our federal delegation to have now secured a total of $150 million in federal funding to make it a reality,” said Senator Ed Markey. “West-East Rail is about more than SIMPLY building a train route – it’s about building a connected economy, expanding opportunity, and forging a brighter and more sustainable future for residents across Massachusetts and our region.”

“West-East rail will mean faster and safer travel, better jobs, and a stronger Massachusetts economy,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren. “Massachusetts leaders have worked together over years to make West-East rail a reality, and we’ll keep fighting to get it done.”

The Corridor ID Program is a comprehensive intercity passenger rail planning and development program that will help guide intercity passenger rail development throughout the country and creates a pipeline of intercity passenger rail projects ready for implementation and funding through FRA’s Federal-State Partnership-National Network Program. The funding awarded builds on $108 million in FRA funding that Massachusetts secured in 2023 for corridor infrastructure projects to support additional Amtrak service between Boston and New Haven, Connecticut, via Springfield. Massachusetts also won $37 million in 2024 for the Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project to design track, signal and infrastructure improvements at Springfield Union Station. These upgrades will ultimately increase rail capacity and reduce congestion – as part of the broader Compass Rail vision. 

The SDP will outline MassDOT’s implementation plan for service expansion and is developed cooperatively with FRA. The SDP will demonstrate the feasibility of a Boston to Albany intercity passenger rail route, and it will detail the necessary steps to implement the service. It will identify the purpose and need for the service, include a comparative analysis of viable alternatives, define the recommended capital projects to enable the service, and evaluate the operational, network, and financial impacts of the service and infrastructure investment. It will also include an operating plan, a corridor project inventory and an investment case. Further, it will require significant engagement with the public and relevant stakeholders, and it will define a governance structure for project implementation and future operation.

“Every investment we make in our transportation network is an investment in people, in their families, their futures, and their ability to stay connected to the places and opportunities that matter most,” said Transportation Secretary & CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “We are deeply grateful to our federal partners for believing in the promise of the Boston to Albany rail corridor. This is more than a route between two cities. It is a lifeline for the communities in between, opening doors to economic opportunity, environmental progress, and a stronger, more united Massachusetts.”

“This latest victory for Compass Rail speaks to the importance of not only the Boston-Albany connection, but of the role that passenger rail will play in fueling regional economic growth in the decades to come,” said MassDOT Rail and Transit Administrator Meredith Slesinger. “It is imperative to keep prioritizing these investments so future generations of Commonwealth residents and visitors can have reliable rail connectivity, more economic opportunities, and enhanced quality of life”.  

“This award reflects our continued efforts to aggressively pursue federal dollars and enhance our infrastructure,” said Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure Quentin Palfrey. “I am thrilled to celebrate the progress we have made on West-East rail, which will boost economic opportunities across the state.”

"West-East Rail is about more than what's fair; it's about equity and opportunity. This federal funding will help ensure that families and businesses from Palmer to Springfield have the same access to jobs, housing, and economic growth as those in Boston,” said Senator Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow). “I want to thank the Healey-Driscoll Administration for keeping the West-East rail project right on track and keeping regional equity a priority for the Commonwealth."

"The work on West-East Rail is an imperative generational project for the Berkshires and Western Massachusetts, and it will only come to fruition when the team keeps pushing, taking each and every opportunity to secure funding to take the next steps,” said Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D-Pittsfield).

Compass Rail is made up of existing and proposed West-East and North-South services intersecting at a robust hub in Springfield. Compass Rail – Passenger Rail for the Commonwealth – is a vision for intercity passenger rail within Massachusetts and beyond. The goal of Compass Rail is to enhance mobility, expand transportation choice, and support economic development goals through transportation investments. Compass Rail integrates existing MassDOT-supported services with new, proposed services in a unified vision.

Existing services supported and managed by MassDOT under the Compass Rail banner include the following Amtrak-operated routes:

• Vermonter between Washington, D.C. and St. Albans, VT with Massachusetts stops in Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton, and Greenfield
• Valley Flyer between New Haven, CT and Greenfield with Massachusetts stops in Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton, and Greenfield
• Hartford Line and Northeast Regional between Springfield and New Haven, CT or Washington, D.C.
• Berkshire Flyer, a seasonal, pilot service, between Pittsfield and New York City.

West-East Rail would offer new Compass Rail services that focus on improved connections between western and eastern Massachusetts. This includes ad Inland Route to operate between Boston and New Haven, CT via Springfield and the Boston & Albany Corridor via Pittsfield.

For more information on Compass Rail, please visit https://www.mass.gov/compass-rail.

MassDOT continues to seek additional financial resources to grow its passenger rail program and improve transportation across the state. The Healey-Driscoll Administration currently has approximately $1.27 billion dollars in pending federal transportation funding applications.  

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