This funding will help to advance the West-East Rail plan as part of the Hub Modernization Project of the city. The vision of this plan is to connect Boston, Springfield, Albany, and other cities with the expansion of rail service for passengers.
Planned are improvements at Union Station in Springfield to enhance the service for the Amtrak Hartford, Valley Flyer, and Vermonter routes and to support updates to the Connecticut River Line. The targets of this part of the project are signals, tracks, and infrastructure to increase capacity for future passenger rail and reduce conflicts between passenger and freight trains. More details about such projects are often provided with flyer printing.
Governor Maura Healy said:
“This is a major win for Western Massachusetts and a big step forward for West-East Rail. This $130 million investment in Springfield will help us improve transportation, reduce congestion, and connect more communities to jobs, housing, and economic opportunity.”
The project will also create jobs in construction and encourage economic development of a broader nature. The rail options for western Massachusetts are currently very limited as there is only one trip a day between Boston and Albany.
The entire West-East Rail plan is expected to be completed by 2045.