CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – The state Department of Transportation has approved a new five-year capital investment plan which includes another huge sum of money to advance the vision of West-East Rail.
The $123 million will be used to make track improvements between Springfield and Worcester, plan and design a future station in Palmer, and add capacity to track in Pittsfield. It will also fund preliminary engineering and environmental work before reconfiguring tracks in Springfield.
Rep. Neal provides update on West-East rail at Union Station in Springfield It’s the latest in a long history of incremental stops as the project lurches down the tracks. The current push officially began in 2018 with a feasibility study after years of pressure on Beacon Hill from Western Massachusetts lawmakers. That study concluded in 2021 and recommended three plans. Each of those called for a new station in Palmer and ruled out the possibility of high-speed rail.
That same year, Amtrak announced their Connect U.S. 15-year plan, which included a full-service route from Albany to Boston and aligned with the hopes and dreams of West-East Rail . In 2022, the Western Massachusetts Passenger Rail Commission was created. The body concluded that the project was getting more expensive for each year that passed and made determinations about its future. Eventually, they concluded that forming a new authority to oversee the West-East rail project would be redundant and handed control over to MassDOT.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been approved through state budgets, infrastructure bonds, federal legislation, and grants in the years since. These incremental improvements brought the region closer to the heyday of end-to-end Massachusetts rail, and all the recreational, environmental, and economic benefits that come with it.
“I am very pleased with this announcement and the steady progress we continue to make in bringing West-East Rail to fruition. I have been in frequent communication with Governor Healey and Secretary Tibbits-Nutt, advocating for this project and ensuring it is a priority for the Healey-Driscoll administration. After yet another announcement in what has been a series of substantial investments from the Governor and her team, it is clear that they are all in.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that came from the Ways and Means Committee under my chairmanship was one of our nation’s greatest undertakings in decades – $1.2 trillion to improve all facets of American infrastructure, including rail. I am pleased that the Healey-Driscoll administration has continued to pursue these federal dollars, and as a result, the Commonwealth has been a great benefactor of this historic legislation.
West-East Rail is a significant undertaking, but not to miss the point that we have made great strides in recent years; beginning with the reopening of Springfield Union Station in 2017 and most recently with the $108 million CRISI grant that I announced with Governor Healey last fall, our progress has been tremendous.
The reality of West-East Rail is happening right before our eyes.”
Statement from Congressman Richard Neal
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