AASHTO Journal - MassDOT Touts Buying ‘Knowledge Corridor’ Rail Line

Ten years ago, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation purchased and rehabilitated the “Knowledge Corridor” rail line – a key effort that helped sustain Amtrak Vermonter passenger rail service, first launched in December 2014, across Massachusetts.

[Above photo by MassDOT]

The Restore Vermonter project, funded largely through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, rehabilitated the tracks between Springfield and Northfield, a seven-county area called the “Knowledge Corridor,” due to the area’s “rich tradition” of inventions, research, and higher education.

Those new tracks enabled the Vermonter to save 25 minutes of travel time over the previous alignment that detoured through the town of Palmer, MA.

Since the state bought that 49-mile stretch of tracks in 2015 between the northern and southern borders of Massachusetts, MassDOT has built three rail new stations along that line in Northampton, Holyoke, and Greenfield. The agency also rehabilitated the Stone Arch Bridge in Bernardston as well as completed a pedestrian and bike underpass in Northampton.

“When the Commonwealth purchased the Knowledge Corridor in 2015, it wasn’t just an investment in tracks and ties. It was a promise to the people of western Massachusetts,” explained Monica Tibbits-Nutt, MassDOT secretary and CEO, in a statement.

“Since then, the return of reliable passenger rail has helped breathe new life into downtowns, supported local businesses, and reconnected residents to jobs, education, and each other, from Greenfield to Springfield,” she added. “The rehabilitation of this line shows what’s possible when we believe in the power of rail to transform lives and landscapes.”

[Editor’s note: Additionally, MassDOT recently awarded $3 million in grants to 19 projects that encourage transportation alternatives and expand transportation options in communities statewide, including improvements to bus stop infrastructure, expansion of ferry service, and more. The goal of that program – now in its second year – is to reduce single occupancy vehicle travel, reduce emissions, encourage mode shift, and expand mobility.] 

“Time and again we see that meaningful investment brings meaningful results,” said Meredith Slesinger, MassDOT rail and transit administrator.

“When the Commonwealth purchased the Knowledge Corridor 10 years ago, it was more than a commitment to improving deteriorated infrastructure; it was also a commitment to providing useful transportation service to the people living in and visiting Massachusetts,” she noted.

MassDOT added that owning this rail line also enabled it to invest in rail and infrastructure projects, increasing corridor capacity for both passenger service and freight trains. As a result of the improvements and funding, the Amtrak Valley Flyer, a MassDOT-funded service, began operating on the Knowledge Corridor in 2019.

MassDOT added that it continues to work towards improving rail infrastructure to support increased service levels through current projects, such as the Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project and the Inland Route, both part of its Compass Rail plan; a long-term vision for intercity passenger rail in the Commonwealth issued in 2023.