By Dana
MacKay
State
transportation officials are studying a possible new commuter rail route between
Union Station in Worcester and North Station in Boston that could supplement
existing commuter rail service from Worcester to South Station in Boston, and
provide new commuter service to the towns of Clinton and Lancaster.
While
the study got under way last fall by the officials of the state Executive Office
of Transportation and MBTA , no determination has been made yet whether such an
alternative commuter train line would be feasible, according to an
administration source knowledgeable about the plan.
Last
month, however, transportation officials examined existing freight tracks that
run north out of downtown Worcester from Union Station through West Boylston,
Sterling, Clinton, Lancaster and Harvard to Ayer. At that point the plan
envisions commuter trains picking up the existing tracks used by the Fitchburg
commuter rail line to North Station in Boston.
That
examination involved a group of officials and experts riding the route and led
to a decision to further develop the plan.
Study
of the alternative commuter rail line to Boston comes after years of fruitless
negotiations between the MBTA and CSX, which owns the tracks currently used for
the 10-train commuter line through Framingham and are being targeted for as many
as 10 trains per day.
While
the state has proposed purchasing and upgrading the Framingham line to allow
greater use of the tracks for commuter service between Union Station and South
Station in Boston, officials have reported little progress to date despite long
running and ongoing negotiations with CSX officials.
As
part of that plan the state has developed options including construction of a
parallel line for some key stretches of the Framingham line and advanced
switching systems to allow additional commuter trains to share the tracks that
are also used for freight trains.
Lt.
Gov. Timothy P. Murray said recently that he is encouraged by the initial
reviews of the possible new commuter-train route from Worcester to Boston.
“It’s in the preliminary stages. I think the EOTC officials are initially
encouraged at the feasibility of this, but it is a long process.”
Mr.
Murray said the effort comes as the state for the first time in decades is
starting to put together a comprehensive rail plan that will look at how the
state can better utilize and integrate the rail infrastructure for passenger
rail and freight. “They both are critically important to the current and
future economic growth of the state,” Mr. Murray said.
“Some
of our transportation team saw this as a potential option as we strive to look
at ways we can expand rail service between Central Massachusetts, Worcester and
North Worcester County,” Mr. Murray said of the possible new commuter train
route.
“The
initial review and ride by the EOT people has them wanting to further look at
this internally and evaluate some of the costs and challenges that may be there.
But to me, it is encouraging in that there is at least an additional option for
us to look at,” Mr. Murray said.
He
said the plan could eventually require an agreement between the rail companies
that own the existing tracks. Except for an initial stretch of track leading out
of downtown toward Greendale in Worcester, the entire length of the route is
owned by Pan Am Railways, and state officials have had some preliminary
discussions with the company.
Mr.
Murray acknowledged, the slow pace of negotiations with CSX regarding expanded
service on the Worcester- Framingham-Boston line and said the state is making a
strong effort to work out either state ownership and acquisition or other
options that would allow greater use of the CSX line for commuter rail.
“These
are resources that are going to be needed more than ever and people have to be
reasonable in their demands in negotiations. We are getting frustrated that
things are not moving faster with CSX,” Mr. Murray said.
“We
can pursue things on dual tracks,” Mr. Murray said of the alternative
commuter. But he said, across the state, development of a more integrated plan
to expand passenger rail service is needed.
“The
future is clear with gasoline approaching $4 a gallon and roads getting clogged,
that we are going to have to utilize all of our transportation assets,” Mr.
Murray said. In both the passenger rail and freight businesses, he said,
“everyone agrees the rail is one underutilized asset.”
“There
needs to be that shared cooperative approach among the different owners, and
there needs to be incentives in place or hammers in place that require freight
and passenger to work together so there is a level playing field in facilitating
maximum use and shared cooperation among the entities,” the lieutenant
governor said.
This is an interstate
commerce issue as well as being vitally important to Massachusetts,” he added.
Via:
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette
WRITER’S
NOTE: It appears that one of the biggest logjams in this project and another
project in Florida is CSX’S position on liability. CSX has refused to bend on
its stand on this issue. They do not want to face any liability if a commuter
rail passenger is injured due to its negligence. They want the taxpayers to pay
for CSX’S negligence.
In Florida CSX has asked
Florida officials to assume liability for any accidents on a proposed Orlando
commuter line. The state wants to purchase 61 miles of track between Deland,
Florida and south to Kissimmee, Florida even after a purchase price was agreed
to. Via:
the Boston Globe & The Daytona Beach News Journal
MYSTIC VALLEY RAILWAY SOCIETY
