Rail
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New Northeast Corridor Rail Plan Would Boost MBTA Providence Line Projects
If all of the recommended projects from the new "Connect NEC 2035" plan were funded and built, the Commission estimates that Amtrak's travel times between Boston and New York City could be cut by 28 minutes, and that the MBTA would be able to operate considerably more trains at higher speeds between Rhode Island and South Station.
July 14, 2021
What Could Biden’s Infrastructure Plan Accomplish in Massachusetts?
It’s only a first draft, and many details remain to be worked out through negotiations and debates in Congress, but here’s what the plan could buy for Massachusetts.
April 5, 2021
Could An Infrastructure Stimulus Fund High-Speed Rail for New England?
The North Atlantic Rail initiative is seeking a $105 billion investment for "a rail-enabled economic transformation strategy."
March 3, 2021
Who’s Allowed to Live Near Transit?
Wellesley is the kind of place lots of people would love to call home – it's got great schools, beautiful parks, and three commuter rail stations that give the town's residents an easy 45-minute ride into downtown Boston.
October 21, 2020
MassDOT Multiplies Ridership Forecasts, Narrows Alternatives for East-West Rail
The three remaining service options under study would upgrade and double-track an existing freight rail line between Worcester and Pittsfield to support between 7 and 9 round trips a day between Pittsfield and Boston, with travel times between Springfield and Boston reduced to under two hours.
August 5, 2020
TransitMatters Issues Detailed Game Plan for Regional Rail Upgrades
Advocates from TransitMatters have released a detailed, $2.6 billion strategy for upgrading key commuter rail lines to attain 15-minute, all-day service to Beverly, Providence, and along Boston's Fairmount Line.
June 22, 2020
Lynn Will Get Subway Fares From Its Commuter Rail Station This Summer
Though it's just a 20-minute bike ride from the end of the Blue Line, catching an MBTA commuter train from downtown Lynn has traditionally cost nearly three times more than a subway ticket.
June 16, 2020
T Restores Early-Morning Commuter Rail Trips For Health Care Workers
Responding to issues raised in a StreetsblogMASS report last week, the MBTA has announced that it will bring back early-morning commuter rail trains that will allow health care workers to get to work for their 7 a.m. shift change, even as the rest of the transit system continues to run on a reduced schedule.
March 23, 2020
MassDOT Will Revisit Its East-West Rail Ridership Projections
A coalition of regional planning groups wrote that the East-West passenger rail study's low ridership projections "require more explanation, clarity and re-analysis."
March 2, 2020
Advocates Spotlight Strange Math In MassDOT East-West Rail Study
MassDOT believes that adding more passenger rail service between Springfield and Boston would cost more than twice as much – and attract fewer than one fifth as many riders – as a similar higher-speed rail upgrade on the Hartford Line between Springfield and New Haven.
February 7, 2020