Adams Residents Divided on Scenic Rail Plan

John Weston of HDR Engineering details the plans for the rail service on the Adams end of the line.

ADAMS, Mass. — Town and state officials detailed plans on Thursday evening for the train tours they say will boost the local tourism economy.

But in the court of public opinion, the jury is still out on the positive impacts of the impending Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum project.

The public information meeting about the Hoosac Valley Rail Service with representatives of the state Department of Transportation, Berkshire Scenic Railway and the town of Adams was met with questions and concerns voiced by a room full of residents at the town Visitors Center.

"This is a very big project, for Adams and North Adams and our community here in the Berkshires," Town Administrator Jonathan Butler said as an introduction to the meeting. "The biggest thing that we've all been looking for in this part of the county is to play a big role in the tourism economy in Berkshire County."

The project demands that one mile of rail be added to an approximately four-mile long track — six-tenths of which will run alongside the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. The railway will begin at the Adams Visitors Center, ending at Western Gateway Heritage State Park in North Adams. During a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation, John Weston, senior transportation planner for the state-contracted engineering firm HDR, distinguished between two separate phases for the design and construction of the additional rail.

The first phase focuses on rehabilitating existing track from Lime Street to Renfrew Street. Design for Phase 2 is soon be solidified, though it will prove trickier — its focus is on re-installing track from Renfrew Street to Hoosac Street.

According to Weston, a 6-foot tall chain-link fence will separate the Ashuwillticook trail from the train tracks. There will be 3 to 4 feet of separation between the path and track on either side of the fence. A station platform is planned to be built on Hoosac Street opposite of Visitors Center, sharing its corridor with the Ashuwillticook trail.

Weston said two residential properties have been identified as being infringed upon with the construction of new rail. Property owners will have to give permission for any construction on their land.

Construction for both phases are planned to be completed and the train ready for passengers in late spring, according to Weston. He said the more cumbersome aspect of construction is creating a new parcel of the bike trail, not the installation of rail itself. Taking into consideration public opinion, Weston estimates that plans for design will be completed by December or early in 2014. Then, the state will need to address environmental concerns, such as noise and drainage, before it begins construction in the spring.

Following the presentation, the meeting was opened to the many residents in attendance, who had questions and comments about the train's impact on the local economic and quality of life.

Some claimed the project is indicative of the administration ruining the town, while others boasted its benefits.

Residents abutting the projected path of the railway expressed displeasure with the train's noise level; of the structural impacts that the train's vibrations may have on their homes; and the general unpleasantness that train will have on them.

Proponents of the scenic rail urged naysayers to consider the positive long-term effects the train may have on the livelihood of their children and grandchildren.

The Berkshire Scenic Railway's train rides have been out of operation for two years after the Housatonic Railroad declined to renew its easement in South County. Prior to that, according to MassDOT, it carried more than 100,000 passengers in about a decade of service, contributing more than $4 million to the local economy in Southern Berkshire County. Green said the Berkshire Scenic Railway serviced an average of 16,000 passengers per year, showing an average annual growth of 12 percent throughout its runs between Stockbridge and Lenox.

1Berkshire, the countywide economic development group, is conducting a study on the projected economic impact of the project that may be available by the end of the year.

“Berkshire Scenic knows that this is all new for you folks. We're sensitive to that. We know that you haven't looked out your back windows and seen a train in years. We view this as being your neighbor. This isn't the big, bad railroad for-profit coming to town," Green said.

The town plans to utilize the Visitors Center parking lot, which has 120 spaces at capacity, publicly owned property on Winter Street and on-street parking as it continues to address different ways to accommodate the expected increased traffic.

Normal service hours for scenic tours are seasonal, running from Memorial Day to Halloween, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 to 3. Special holiday trips are also being considered because of the demand they received in other areas with similar ventures, particularly the railway's popular December "Polar Express," for which tickets sold out in three hours.

The total trip time for tours will be 25 to 30 minutes. Four trains will carry a total of 256 passengers, according to Green, traveling at approximately 15 miles per hour.

From Renfrew Street north to North Adams, the railway track will be shared with the current operating freight service owned by Pan Am Railways. The Berkshire Scenic Railway will operate on weekends, so as not to interfere with freight service.

Butler said the town has incurred absolutely no costs for the production of the Berkshire Scenic Rail project to date, but could not confirm whether it would sometime in the future. He said residents who are concerned about costs the town will incur as a result of the train should consider the impact a strong tourism economy has on tax rates.

In response to some critics in the audience, Butler said, "We're not gonna grow, if we keep saying no. We have to say yes."

Residents are encouraged to submit any questions, comments or concerns about the project to Town Hall. Anyone interested in volunteering for the Berkshire Scenic Railroad should go to its website at berkshirescenicrailroad.org.

Note: There have been references in other publications to "passenger rail." The railway service being proposed is for scenic tours - not public transportation.

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