Northern Tier Passenger Rail

Transportation officials in Massachusetts have released a final report going over what passenger rail returning to northwest Massachusetts and beyond might look like – and potentially cost.The MassDOT study weighed multiple scenarios for trains traveling between North Adams, Greenfield and Boston. The report comes as state and local leaders from the Berkshires to Central Massachusetts call on the state to continue exploring the possibilities.That includes regional rail advocate groups like Trains in the Valley. WAMC sat down with its co-founder Ben Heckscher to talk about the study, east-west rail and other developments.

Lawmakers and officials from northwestern Massachusetts are pushing for east-west rail in their neck of the woods. Rallies held this week were in tandem with stakeholders calling on the Healey administration to restart Northern Tier Passenger Rail.

Officials in Massachusetts have unveiled the latest results of a study exploring what rail service between Boston and North Adams could look like – with a possible route going all the way to New York’s Capital Region.