The Massachusetts Department of Transportation recently released the finalized version of its “Northern Tier Passenger Rail Study” that details the benefits, costs, and investments necessary to implement passenger rail service from North Adams to Greenfield and Boston.
[Above photo by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]
In particular, the agency said this study examined the speed, frequency, and reliability necessary for passenger rail to be a “competitive” transportation option for travel along the North Adams-Greenfield-Boston corridor.
MassDOT pointed out that there are three “overarching goals” for this study:
- Support economic development along the Northern Tier corridor;
- Promote transportation equity; and
- Minimize impacts on public health and the environment from transportation.
The agency noted that public participation in the study included three public information meetings and a public workshop in conjunction with a stakeholder “Working Group” comprised of federal, state, regional, and local representatives.
MassDOT said the study developed and assessed six options for passenger rail service along the North Adams-Greenfield-Boston corridor, including fully electrified service and full local service along the proposed routes.
“Regional connectivity between west and east is a key priority as we imagine the future of transportation in Massachusetts,” noted Monica Tibbits-Nutt, secretary and CEO of MassDOT, in a statement.
The Northern Tier Passenger Rail Study will be a valuable planning tool to identify service alternatives that can expand rail access, reduce congestion, and connect communities statewide,” she added.
Other state departments of transportation have conducted similar passenger rail studies over the last few years.
For example, in August 2023, the North Carolina Department of Transportation issued a study designed to help communities along the S-Line rail corridor in the central part of the state develop Transit Oriented Development or TOD projects along a proposed passenger rail corridor.
The study explores the development along the S-Line rail corridor, which is a key missing link between Raleigh, NC, and Richmond, VA – a corridor that aims to improve rail connections between the Southeastern U.S. and Washington, D.C., and places further north.
The agency explained that TOD creates a “compact development” mix of housing, office space, retail, civic spaces, and neighborhood amenities near a “mobility hub” that brings together in one location public transit, ride-sharing services, and other modes of travel.
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