MassDOT Considering Passenger Rail Connections from Boston to Albany
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Well over 100 people tuned into a hearing earlier this month to learn how the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is studying potential rail service between Boston and Albany, N.Y.
The virtual meeting on Oct. 6 provided background on the Boston and Albany Corridor Service Development Plan and invited early input. There will be another public meeting in about one year.
Andy Koziol, West-East Rail director with MassDOT, explained that the proposed state-crossing train is not a project or service by itself, but a combination of many.
"I think folks that have been involved in this process for a while, maybe familiar with the East West Passenger Rail Study, knew that we were evaluating the geography from Boston out to Pittsfield, but it's really more characteristic of intercity service to try to make these connections to the grander national network of services," he said.
"So, for this particular service development plan for the corridor, as we're planning it now, we extended the terminus out to Albany to make sure that we had these connections available."
MassDOT says this is a critical step toward advancing East-West Rail, which has been in progress for several years and was recommended in the 2018 Massachusetts State Rail Plan.
The SDP, expected to be complete in 2028, will demonstrate the feasibility of intercity passenger rail service on this corridor, and identify steps needed to implement the service. A preliminary alternatives analysis and transportation planning begins this fall.
The 200-mile rail corridor between Boston and Albany runs through Worcester, Springfield, and Pittsfield, connecting 364 municipalities, more than 7 million residents, and nearly 4 million jobs.
"This is a dense area, and it demonstrates a necessity for improvements to passenger rail," Koziol said.
"And that's going to be borne out through the market analysis that we're working on right now as a part of the service development plan."
As part of a larger effort to enhance train access, the state is also considering a second platform at the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center in Pittsfield to add railroad capacity.
Amtrak is anticipated to operate the passenger rail, and there is a mix of ownership and interests along the corridor. MassDOT will balance the needs of both passenger and freight rail.
The project is part of the state's Compass Rail vision, centered on Springfield Union Station and building on existing Amtrak Vermonter, Hartford Line and Valley Flyer service. The West East Rail is a component of the Compass Rail.
The Federal Railroad Administration selected nearly 70 areas to participate in the Corridor Identification Program for rail development. In December 2023, the corridor was accepted into the Corridor ID program, and MassDOT recently executed a $3.5 million Step 2 grant for the SDP.
Once the SDP is complete, the state expects an award for preliminary engineering and environmental review, which is Step 3.
"A lot of fantastic work has already happened and already gone underway with the, particularly the East-West passenger rail study, which assesses the feasibility, the costs, and benefits of creating competitive passenger rail service connecting Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and Pittsfield," explained Natasha Velickovic, a project manager with VHB's Transit & Rail Group.
"What we're going to be doing now in closing some of the gap in what was previously studied is focusing on the Pittsfield to Albany area and defining some more detail in what are the necessary upgrades that are going to be needed through that section specifically."
More than 130 people attended the meeting, and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission gave a presentation about passenger rail planning in Western Massachusetts.
Koziol said it currently takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes to travel from Springfield to Boston, and roughly four hours to ride the train from Pittsfield to Boston.
State-supported Amtrak ridership grew 94 percent between 2018 and 2026, MassDOT reports.
Governor Maura Healey earlier this month announced an agreement she said puts the Berkshire Flyer on a path toward permanent seasonal service and invests in infrastructure needed to continue expanding West-East passenger rail service between Boston and Albany.
The Berkshire Flyer, established in 2022, connects the Berkshires directly to New York City for the first time in a half-century. The 2026 season expanded service with an additional round-trip.
Recently, $130 million for the Springfield Hub Modernization Project was announced by Healey, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Reps. Richard Neal and James McGovern.
More information on the project and a recording of the hearing can be found on MassDOT’s website.
Tags: passenger rail,
