A public information meeting in Palmer, Massachusetts, went slightly off the rails after officials described plans for a future rail station that seemed to steer away from a popular, potential site.
A meeting room at the Palmer Public Library was packed Monday night as Massachusetts Department of Transportation staff and consulting firm VHB held a public information session.
Dozens of locals gathered to learn more about ongoing train station site evaluations that have been underway.
Palmer, a town of 12,000, has been listed as a future passenger rail stop as the state’s West-East Rail project continues to make progress. About $4 million in state funding has been allocated for the potential station’s planning and design work.
VHB New England Managing Director Natasha Velickovic spoke to what sites were in the running, and which, in the project team’s view, had significant issues.
Of eleven sites up for consideration, five did not appear to clear a “fatal flaw screening.” Among them was the site of the town’s former Union Station off Depot Street.
According to Velickovic, the site presented several issues, including some stemming from a proposed, high-level platform, station track and the land it might occupy – among other elements.
“… as you pull the station siding off of the main line, you would have to then … replace the bridge itself, at the South Main Street Bridge, and then as you advance your station siding and propose a brand new platform, we were starting to get into the territory of potentially having to acquire about a dozen properties in order to accommodate those minimum standards of today's required railroad station infrastructure needs and criteria,” she said.
Currently occupying the former Union Station building, an historic structure that dates back to 1884, is a popular restaurant owned by Blake Lamothe – the “Steaming Tender.”
Lamothe and his family have invested in the building and nearby properties, such as the Trainmaster’s Inn, and long advocated for the historic site hosting passenger rail service again.
Upon learning the meeting wouldn’t have a public speak out section and instead, a sort of break out in which the public would give comments individually to project team members, Lamothe approached the podium, speaking after officials eventually yielded the floor.
“It's time to leverage our resources efficiently to benefit our community as a whole here. I urge you all to consider the potential for passenger service in Palmer and recognize the importance of our historical location,” he said, reading from a letter addressing the community. “We must work together to ensure our community’s assets are not neglected and that we are proactive in achieving sustainable development.”
Lamothe claimed the Federal Railroad Administration indicated low-level platforms would be feasible at the historic site – and also lend themselves to future north and south passenger rail service he and others want to see return to Palmer. The town was once a stop for the former Montrealer train, and, for a time, the Vermonter.
Palmer Conservation Commissioner Donald Blais Jr. told WAMC he’s in favor of a site that not only serves Palmer, but the region as a whole. He says he understands the demand for a downtown site.
“We saw a very heated, very passionate meeting about the future of rail service in the town of Palmer, and it was a great turnout, and, you know, it's important that that feedback is heard, and hopefully that will play a part in the final stages of … this project,” he said.
It was a sentiment echoed by Anne Miller co-founder of the group “Citizens for a Palmer Rail Stop.”
“I think everybody had wanted it at the Steaming Tender or near the historic station,” she said. “However, I hope that we will have a station, even if it can't be there, but obviously we would all like it to be as close to that historic location as possible.”
Other sites discussed included a location built out of Palmer’s DPW lot – the closest to Palmer’s downtown area to advance.
The site would need substantial resources, like bridge reconstruction and extensive track work. There’s also the matter of frequent flooding the lot experiences.
Palmer Town Manager Brad Brothers says he hoped for better news regarding the DPW site, adding that while he felt the evaluations were fair, he wished one that involved a station technically going in neighboring Wilbraham wasn’t an option.
In a statement, he added that the local steering committee involved in pursuing a station had been hopeful for the historic site proposal, but “understands the limitations of that site and is committed to moving forward with this project with emphasis on the primary and secondary goals in coordination with MassDOT.”
There was also Site B – a spot south of Palmer Yard that appeared to have the least amount of baggage, but would involve repurposing some active CSX freight track – meaning further discussions with the railroad company that owns the track running west of Worcester. Directly across the track is Site I – similar in scope, but with added hurdles that include needing a pedestrian bridge.
According to the presentation, alternative analysis and conceptual design work will continue through the winter and spring, with another public meeting likely to happen in spring or summer 2025.
Neither Velickovic or MassDOT West-East Rail Project Director Andy Koziol were able to speak with media after the meeting.
The slides presented Monday night can be found here.
The meeting in its entirety, recorded by M-PACT TV, can be found here.
