Palmer passenger rail station

Purchased by Blake and Robin Lamothe in 1987, the old Union Station in Palmer, Massachusetts now houses the Steaming Tender restaurant. Blake Lamothe and daughter, Scarlet, gave a presentation there Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, detailing a proposal to bring a passenger rail station to the site - a spot MassDOT officials say did not pass a feasibility test project leaders implemented last year. A project team involving consultants and state transportation personnel are currently evaluating sites for a future station in the city of just over 12,000.

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As MassDOT weighs potential Palmer station sites, supporters of old Union Station spot rally

Passenger rail service could be returning to the small Hampden County town of Palmer in the not-so-distant future – but where a future station might go is still being hashed out. Advocates for putting it downtown, at the historic Union Station site, have been making their case, even as officials consider other options.

Dozens of residents, town officials and other stakeholders crowded a meeting room in the Palmer Public Library Monday night, Dec. 16, 2024, as state transportation officials and consultants went over evaluations for a sites that could host a future passenger rail station.

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Partial Derailment: Palmer rail station meeting touches on potential sites, gives way to former Union Station discussion

James Paleologopoulos

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 map displaying some of the six potential sites MassDOT and a consulting firm have been evaluating - studying their potential for a future passenger rail station in Palmer, Massachusetts. Not visible is a sixth site

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Potential sites for Palmer passenger rail station to be discussed at MassDOT meeting

James Paleologopoulos

Massachusetts state transportation officials will be in Palmer tonight to collect feedback on plans for a potential new passenger rail station in the Hampden County town.