Supporters of bringing passenger rail service back between northern Berkshire County and Boston gathered Monday in Greenfield to renew their call for the proposal.
There have not been passenger trains running along the Route 2 corridor in western Mass. since the late 1950s. State transportation officials are expected to release a final report on the idea in the coming weeks.
A coalition of over 100 entities, including communities, businesses and non-profits have expressed support for the Northern Tier project.
A draft copy of the report laid out six options, all of which cost near or over $1 billion. They range from doing the minimum necessary steps to establish the service, to electrifying the rail line. There are also different scenarios for travel times, adding additional stops to the line and continuing it into New York to Albany.
State Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, said the project can be done in increments and that it will be up to the will of the people.
“The southern tier rail was no until it was yes, right?” Comerford said. “And what was the difference? The difference was social and political will. The difference was people saying ‘Wait a minute, we need access to this, this is completely not fair.’”
Comerford is referring to the East/West rail project, which is slated to bring more passenger rail service between western Mass. and Boston via a southern route through Springfield.
Ben Heckscher is the co-founder of the advocacy group Trains in the Valley. He said there are already track improvements taking place between North Adams and Greenfield, which would make upgrades for passenger trains easier. As far as funding is concerned, he pointed to the state’s tax on incomes over a million dollars as a possible solution.
“We have the ‘Fair Share Amendment’, so while the next four years may be a little bit turbulent in Washington, the money is there to begin to do the early development and planning to get this thing going,” he said.
Dozens of supporters holding signs stood on the rail platform in Greenfield during the event.
Linda Dunlavy, the executive director of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, told gatherers the population in Franklin County has been stagnant over the past 30 years, and that projections are calling for a significant drop in the future, while also growing older.
She said the rail service could help bolster the area, “by opening up economic opportunity, we are better able to welcome young families with children back to our schools, back to our towns.”
A similar event touting the proposal was also held in North Adams Monday morning.
This story was originally published by New England Public Media. It was shared as part of the New England News Collaborative.
