MassDOT advances Boston-Albany Corridor Service Development Plan
Image credit: MassDOT
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) secured $3.5 million from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Corridor Identification and Development Program (Corridor ID) to advance West-East Rail. The funding supports the Boston-Albany Corridor Service Development Plan (SDP), which will expand and enhance train service connecting Boston and Albany, N.Y., through Springfield, Mass.
The funding awarded builds on $108 million in FRA funding the state secured in 2023 for corridor infrastructure projects to support additional Amtrak service between Boston and New Haven, Conn., via Springfield. The state also won $37 million in 2024 for the Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project to design track, signal and infrastructure improvements at Springfield Union Station. The upgrades will increase rail capacity and reduce congestion as part of the broader Compass Rail vision.
According to MassDOT, the SDP will outline its implementation plan for service expansion and is developed cooperatively with FRA. The SDP will demonstrate the feasibility of a Boston to Albany intercity passenger rail route, and it will detail the necessary steps to implement the service. It will identify the purpose and need for the service, include a comparative analysis of viable alternatives, define the recommended capital projects to enable the service and evaluate the operational, network and financial impacts of the service and infrastructure investment.
The SDP will also include an operating plan, a corridor project inventory and an investment case. Further, it will require significant engagement with the public and relevant stakeholders, and it will define a governance structure for project implementation and future operation.
MassDOT notes Compass Rail is made up of existing and proposed West-East and North-South services intersecting at a robust hub in Springfield. Compass Rail – Passenger Rail for the Commonwealth – is a vision for intercity passenger rail within Massachusetts and beyond. The goal of Compass Rail is to enhance mobility, expand transportation choice and support economic development goals through transportation investments. Compass Rail integrates existing MassDOT-supported services with new, proposed services in a unified vision.
Existing services supported and managed by MassDOT under the Compass Rail banner include the following Amtrak-operated routes:
- Vermonter between Washington, D.C., and St. Albans, Vt., with Massachusetts stops in Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton and Greenfield.
- Valley Flyer between New Haven and Greenfield, with Massachusetts stops in Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton and Greenfield.
- Hartford Line and Northeast Regional between Springfield and New Haven or Washington, D.C.
- Berkshire Flyer, a seasonal, pilot service, between Pittsfield and New York City.
West-East Rail would offer new Compass Rail services that focus on improved connections between western and eastern Massachusetts, including ad Inland Route to operate between Boston and New Haven via Springfield and the Boston and Albany Corridor via Pittsfield.
Source: MassDOT
