Springfield to Boston rail (Worcester, Pittsfield: house, price, bus)

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by callofdutyplayer

That seems so far

What seems so far?

Used to be there were three main cities in MA: Boston, Worcester, and Springfield. Springfield further connects to Hartford and the points south in CT like New Haven. All these cities have wealthy suburbs with educated, talented people.

It's nothing to do with Fall River or anything to the south of Boston. This is WMass, an area that was once thriving and has been neglected over the years because people think Boston is the end all and the be all. Well, maybe it is, now that WMass has been neglected for so long. Maybe it's hopeless to think that Boston will ever notice us again. (We should probably go back to the idea of seceding, lol. There was talk of it when Boston wanted to divert our river so they could have more water. We could join the state of CT.)

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by Dm84

This is the same argument being played out with South Coast Rail. Everyone wants the train but the cost is too high to justify ever building it given the ridership projections.

The same can be said for New Bedford and Fall River- they've got nothing going for them, and they're dangerous, just like Springfield.

Southcoast rail will fail horribly if it continues on the path it's taking now. You need to be able to get from New Bedford or Fall River to South Station in 50 minutes before people would consider it. I think the money would be better spent improving Middleboro/Lakeville to South Station so that is a 30 minute express to South Station. Improve road access to it and install tons of parking. Run bus service to it that aligns with the train schedule.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

Yeh. Because there are no trains. WMass remains cut off from the rest of the state because the "hub and spokes" want it that way. Boston is our state capital; it owes nothing to NH and RI but it should take a look at the rest of the state that it rules, regulates, and taxes.

What? People don't travel between Springfield and Boston because of no trains???


You invest in infrastructure to serve a demand. If the demand isn't there, well increasing the capacity isn't going to create it. That's not how it works.


I agree the state government pretty much exists to serve the needs of Greater Boston, and that needs to change. I have said this multiple times on the forum. Not just for for Western MA, but also Central MA and SE MA alike. But the state needs to enable Springfield to thrive on its own. It is not and will never be a suburb of Boston. There are plenty of ways to invest in that corner of the state that would have huge payoffs. Spending probably billions of dollars to build a train that few will ride is not one of them.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by massnative71

What? People don't travel between Springfield and Boston because of no trains???


You invest in infrastructure to serve a demand. If the demand isn't there, well increasing the capacity isn't going to create it. That's not how it works.


I agree the state government pretty much exists to serve the needs of Greater Boston, and that needs to change. I have said this multiple times on the forum. Not just for for Western MA, but also Central MA and SE MA alike. But the state needs to enable Springfield to thrive on its own. It is not and will never be a suburb of Boston. There are plenty of ways to invest in that corner of the state that would have huge payoffs. Spending probably billions of dollars to build a train that few will ride is not one of them.

Sometimes I don't even know why the rest of us even pay taxes. Most of us never go to Boston--we don't work there, why should we go there? About the only thing I would ever go there for is a museum. You can go shopping or eat in a nice restaurant without going anywhere near Boston.

There must be ways to invest in some of the forgotten cities of our state and not make everything be for and about those who live around Boston.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

Sometimes I don't even know why the rest of us even pay taxes. Most of us never go to Boston--we don't work there, why should we go there? About the only thing I would ever go there for is a museum. You can go shopping or eat in a nice restaurant without going anywhere near Boston.

There must be ways to invest in some of the forgotten cities of our state and not make everything be for and about those who live around Boston.

As I've said many times, it's not just "investments". Fact is, everything from the state's economic policy to its educational system exists to serve Boston's needs. A one-size-fits-all approach does not serve a state as diverse as MA very well at all.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

Sometimes I don't even know why the rest of us even pay taxes. Most of us never go to Boston--we don't work there, why should we go there? About the only thing I would ever go there for is a museum. You can go shopping or eat in a nice restaurant without going anywhere near Boston.

There must be ways to invest in some of the forgotten cities of our state and not make everything be for and about those who live around Boston.

Um, what? Big cities subsidize rural areas. The net flow of tax dollars are almost always from urban centers to rural, just as they are from industrial states to rural/ag states.

[jxzz]

This rail 6 options of study was out months and it deserves some attention in addition to CTrail Hartford Line and Valley Flyer. It should be discussed in separate thread as it is important for this region.

6 options of study has been published and the study is still ongoing for the Pittsfield/Springfield/Boston East West Rail:
https://www.mass.gov/lists/east-west...tudy-documents

Lots of media attention too on this as Senator Eric Lesser is spearheading on this project.

[jxzz]

New Information on this line from recent mini-conference titled “GREEN SIGNALS AHEAD: THE FUTURE OF RAIL EXPANSION IN MASSACHUSETTS.” held in Boston on Friday, Oct. 11, 2019 and sponsored by the Rail Users Network (RUN).

https://www.railwayage.com/passenger...signals-green/

summary from this conference on this future rail line:

Going west from Boston to Greenfield and Springfield or Pittsfield, there are no green signals yet; it is too early. Those projects may be funded and built, the most likely being a minimal service to Springfield, which could also connect to the new Hartford Line service to New Haven, initiated by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) last year. That service connects further to New York City’s Grand Central Terminal via Metro-North.

Important sentence above: the most likely being a minimal service to Springfield

[jxzz]

Here is most likely East West Rail Springfield/Boston, the cheapest of 6 options, alternative 1 from the study, in 5 years from now, we will see below services between Springfield and Boston:
Alternative 1 – Worcester – Springfield Rail Service
• Shared corridor on existing rail alignment
• Up to 6 round trip trains per day on E-W Corridor (SPG – WOR)
• Infrastructure
• Restore double-track in missing sections
• Upgrade tracks and signals
• Direct rail connections from Boston – Worcester
• Rail-to-rail transfer required at Worcester – Palmer, Springfield
• Bus-to-rail transfer required at Springfield or Worcester – Pittsfield, Lee,
Blandford Service Plaza
• Maximum speed – 80 mph
• Equipment – New diesel-powered trainsets
• Travel times:
• Springfield – Boston 2:05 – 2:50 (MBTA express v. local)
• Pittsfield – Boston 3:15 – 4:10 (MBTA express v. local)

[jxzz]

Originally Posted by jxzz

Here is most likely East West Rail Springfield/Boston, the cheapest of 6 options, alternative 1 from the study, in 5 years from now, we will see below services between Springfield and Boston:
Alternative 1 – Worcester – Springfield Rail Service
• Shared corridor on existing rail alignment
• Up to 6 round trip trains per day on E-W Corridor (SPG – WOR)
• Infrastructure
• Restore double-track in missing sections
• Upgrade tracks and signals
• Direct rail connections from Boston – Worcester
• Rail-to-rail transfer required at Worcester – Palmer, Springfield
• Bus-to-rail transfer required at Springfield or Worcester – Pittsfield, Lee,
Blandford Service Plaza
• Maximum speed – 80 mph
• Equipment – New diesel-powered trainsets
• Travel times:
• Springfield – Boston 2:05 – 2:50 (MBTA express v. local)
• Pittsfield – Boston 3:15 – 4:10 (MBTA express v. local)

We can imagine 5 to 10 years from now, only 6 round trips between Springfield/Worcester, very few from Western Mass will commute to Worcester, or Boston for jobs. It is better than nothing, but not great for commuters between East and West.

CTrail between Springfield/Hartford/New Haven will be much closer and faster on commuter rail. Economically, Springfield and Western Mass in general point south more than point to east.