Traffic & Transit
'This Is A Big Deal': Feds Give East-West Rail $108M Funding Boost
Work on a commuter rail link between Boston, Worcester, Springfield and Pittsfield will move ahead with the grant.
WORCESTER, MA — A plan to connect Boston and Worcester to cities in the western half of the state via a commuter rail route got a major boost from the federal government Friday.
The U.S. Federal Railroad Administration Friday gave MassDOT a $108 million grant to begin work on the planned East-West rail route. The project would expand commuter rail service west from Worcester to Springfield and Pittsfield and other western Massachusetts communities.
The grant will fund a majority of East-West rail, projected to cost about $135 million. A host of infrastructure upgrades have to be made west of Worcester, including new bridges and track passing lanes. The rail line west of Worcester owned by CSX is a heavily used freight train route, often causing slowdowns with Amtrak's Lakeshore Limited passenger trains. About 40 of the 53 railroad miles between Union Station in Worcester and Union Station in Springfield follow single tracks.
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According to state officials, the grant will make way for two daily Amtrak Inland Route trips between Boston and Springfield. The track upgrades will also allow Lakeshore Limited trains to move more quickly along the route.
“This is a big deal. Passenger rail is going to play an enormous role in the future of our Commonwealth, and this funding will bring us one step closer to making East-West rail a reality,” said U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, said in a news release.
Find out what's happening in Worcesterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A connection to Springfield will also open wider rail connections across New England. The Connecticut Department of Transportation's CTRail Hartford line offers service between Springfield, Hartford and New Haven, where riders can catch trains to New York City or east along the Connecticut shoreline. Amtrak's Vermonter train provides service through the Green Mountain State north to Burlington.
MassDOT in early 2021 released its final report on options for the East-West passenger rail corridor. The state initially applied for the $108 million grant in December.
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