What's Happening in Springfield, MA…

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is looking to develop an east-west rail service across the Commonwealth.

There are six proposals mooted. One of the plans under consideration is a high-speed rail service that connects Pittsfield, Spring, Worcester, and Boston, and use Springfield Union Station as hub. Another proposal is to run the service on new tracks built on the right-of-way of the Massachusetts Turnpike. More information about such proposed routes are often provided through flyer printing.

Funding from the federal government will be needed once the best option is selected. Stephanie Pollack, CEO and Secretary of MassDOT, said that such a rail service is needed as it would decrease traffic and housing demands in Boston as people move to the central and western parts of the state, reduce the dependency on fossil fuels, and help the economy in Western Massachusetts.

The project is being supported by the Western Mass Rail Coalition. It is recommending creating high speed service of up to 90 miles an hour. There would be six round trips daily between Springfield, Palmer, Worcester, Framingham, and Boston, and Hartford and New Haven in Connecticut, as well as trains connecting Springfield to Pittsfield, Chester, and Albany, New York.

Pollack said that the six proposals will be narrowed down to three finalist, with a final report expected to be forthcoming in September.