East-West Rail (also referred to as West-East Rail) is a proposed intercity passenger rail project that would provide new service between Boston and western Massachusetts, with stops including Worcester, Palmer, Springfield, Pittsfield, and Amtrak's Albany–Rensselaer station in New York. The route between Boston and Albany would use the former mainline of the Boston and Albany Railroad, which is now owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority and CSX Transportation.
Current passenger rail services on the corridor are the MBTA Framingham/Worcester Line — which operates between Boston and Worcester — and Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited, which operates between Boston South Station and Albany–Rensselaer station once-a-day in each direction. East-West Rail is intended to increase the speed and frequency of service on the corridor.
Under pressure from multiple constituencies in western Massachusetts—including elected officials, advocates and citizens—the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) moved forward with an East-West Rail study in 2018. Boston-area political leaders see East-West Rail as a solution to workforce and housing issues, while western Massachusetts officials see expanded rail service as a link to Boston's growing economy.
As proposed, the service would operate as a state-sponsored Amtrak route with Amfleet train sets (similar to the Valley Flyer) powered by diesel locomotives. MassDOT would provide oversight for the service. Preliminary design work for a proposed new station in Palmer is underway. Additionally, local officials in the town of Chester and the city of Westfield have expressed interest in establishing stations in their communities as well.
, East-West Rail service development is in the initial planning and development stage; construction of the Inland Route (Boston-Springfield Northeast Regional extension) phase of project is expected to begin by Spring 2027. While East-West Rail has typically been discussed in relation to establishing frequent services between Boston and Albany, initial funding for the project only covers the Inland Route phase.
History
Previous services
The Boston and Worcester Railroad was chartered June 23, 1831, and construction began in August 1832. The line opened in sections: to West Newton on April 16, 1834; to Wellesley on July 3; to Ashland on September 20; to Westborough in November 1834; and the full length to Worcester on July 4, 1835.Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 279–280. The Western Railroad was chartered February 15, 1833, and incorporated March 15, 1833, to connect the B&W to the Hudson and Berkshire Railroad at the New York state line. Construction began in 1837, and the Eastern Division to the Connecticut River in Springfield opened on October 1, 1839. The Western Division, through the Berkshire Hills, opened in sections from both ends from the state line to Pittsfield May 4, 1841, West Springfield to Chester May 24, 1841, Springfield to West Springfield (across the Connecticut River) July 4, 1841, Pittsfield to "Summit" August 9, 1841, and Chester to Summit September 13, 1841.Solomon, Brian; Hemphill, Mark (1989). "Boston & Albany". CTC Board. Hyrail Productions (160): 32–47.
In 1870, the east–west line operators were consolidated into the Boston and Albany Railroad (B&A). The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad leased the B&A for 99 years from July 1, 1900. This lease passed to the New York Central Railroad (NYC) in 1914; throughout this, the B&A kept its own branding in the public eye. At its peak in 1912, the B&A operated 12 Boston-Albany round trips, one Boston-Pittsfield round trip, and as many as 10 Pittsfield-North Adams round trips. The NYC merged into Penn Central on February 1, 1968. By the early part of the 20th century, commuter rail service was provided east of Worcester, with intercity rail continuing on west.New Haven June 1946 timetable, consist table and Table 3 During the 1940s period of peak passenger volume, the New Haven Railroad (with the cooperation of the New York Central) ran several Boston-New York City trains along the route to Worcester and Springfield and then south. The service included an overnight train with sleeping car service. The last passenger service to run on the line before the creation of Amtrak was an unnamed Chicago-bound successor to the New York Central's New England States on April 30, 1971.
Decline
The rise of automobile ownership and the construction of the I-90/Massachusetts Turnpike drastically reduced passenger demand on the Boston-Pittsfield corridor. B&A service was also cut due to financial problems in the late 1930s and again after World War II; by 1950, Pittsfield was served by eight Boston-Albany round trips per day.Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 22–25. On April 24, 1960, stops west of Framingham except for Worcester, Palmer, Springfield, and Pittsfield were closed; Boston-Albany service via Pittsfield was reduced to just 3.5 daily round trips.
The NYC merged into the Penn Central Railroad on February 1, 1968, followed by the New Haven Railroad on December 31.Belcher, Jonathan (December 26, 2015). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district 1964–2015" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved February 6, 2016. Penn Central continued to run the daily Boston-Albany train (the former, nameless New England States) through Pittsfield until April 30, 1971.
The intercity trips were taken over by Amtrak on May 1, 1971. Service between Worcester and Albany along the Boston and Albany Railroad route was discontinued, leaving Pittsfield with no passenger rail service for the first time in 130 years.Lynch, Peter E. (2005). New Haven Railroad passenger trains. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing Company. pp. 58–65. Two weeks after taking over service, Amtrak added the Boston-New Haven Bay State, which restored service as far west as Springfield; however, this service proved unpopular and was discontinued on March 1, 1975. The MBTA began subsidizing Penn Central's commuter rail service between Boston and Framingham in January 1973. On January 27, 1973, the MBTA acquired the line east of Framingham. Penn Central service beyond Framingham was discontinued October 27, 1975, as the state did not subsidize it. In response, Amtrak revived the New York-Chicago Lake Shore Limited on October 31, 1975, with a new section running on the Boston-Albany mainline and thus restoring service between Pittsfield and Boston.
Conrail took over Penn Central on April 1, 1976. On September 26, 1994, some rush hour trains started to serve Worcester on Conrail trackage (which became CSX trackage on June 1, 1999), extending to other times beginning on December 14, 1996.Much is Riding on Worcester Rail Deal, Boston Globe, June 16, 2010 Prior to 2004, select Northeast Regional trains would offer a Springfield-Boston service via the so-called Inland Route. This route traveled northward from New Haven through central Connecticut and western Massachusetts, passing through Hartford and Springfield, then turned eastward and through Worcester and Framingham en route to South Station. With the electrification of the Northeast Corridor in 2000, Springfield–Boston service along the slower Inland Route (2:05 hours longer from Boston–New York City) was gradually reduced, with the last train discontinued in 2004. The MBTA acquired the rest of the line from Framingham to Worcester as part of an agreement announced in 2009.http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=18187 Patrick-Murray Administration Finalizes Agreement with CSX Transportation, MBTA press release, September 23, 2009 A 2012 agreement transferred ownership and control of the corridor from CSX to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts between Worcester and South Station in Boston.
Current services CSX owns the former B&A mainline between Worcester to Pittsfield and operates freight services on the entire corridor within Massachusetts. The mainline is divided into two CSX subdivisions: the Boston Subdivision runs from Back Bay to Wilbraham (CSX has operating rights on the MBTA-owned segments) while the Berkshire Subdivision runs from Wilbraham to Schodack, New York.
Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited provides a single round trip per day with stops at Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester and Boston within the state of Massachusetts. The MBTA operates commuter services between South Station and Worcester Union as the Framingham/Worcester line. Springfield Union Station remains a major hub for New England services including the Valley Flyer, Vermonter, Northeast Regional, Amtrak's Hartford Line and CTrail's Hartford Line. Until 2022, Pittsfield was only serviced by Lake Shore Limited trains; the Berkshire Flyer was introduced in the summer of 2022 as a seasonal weekend-only New York City-Pittsfield extension of Amtrak's Empire Service. The service is funded by the Massachusetts Senate to facilitate tourism to the Berkshires.
Current route limitations
There are several factors that have limited the expansion of east-to-west passenger services on the Pittsfield-Boston corridor. Unlike the MBTA Commuter Rail network, the state of Massachusetts does not own the trackage between Pittsfield and Worcester; arrangements would have to be made with CSX in order to run more passenger trains on the line. Passenger and freight shared-use rail operations create challenges for scheduling, dispatch, and the need for suitable track infrastructure and signal equipment; passenger services that operate on freight rail lines often require investment to install some combination of double-tracking, passing sidings, new track, and higher-capacity signal systems. Amtrak has the right to provide passenger service on freight-owned lines while the host railroad has the right to set the terms for an operating agreement; however, the MBTA and MassDOT are not eligible to directly utilize these legal provisions.
Much of the former double-track between Worcester and Pittsfield had been removed during the 1980s. The 52-mile Springfield to Pittsfield segment of the corridor includes 13.5 miles of single track rail alignment and the Worcester to Springfield segment includes mostly single-track rail alignment, with 33 miles of single track and only 21 miles of double-track. In order to facilitate more frequent rail operations, most of the former double-tracked sections would have to be restored. Signaling and communication implementation also presents an issue- CSX has implemented Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I-ETMS) between Pittsfield and Worcester, while the MBTA uses the Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES) between Worcester and Boston. For any trains operating in both CSX and MBTA jurisdictions, locomotives will need both systems to safely operate.
East-west service studies
Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative Study (2013-2016) In 2016 the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Vermont Agency of Transportation, in coordination with the Connecticut Department of Transportation, completed a three-year feasibility and planning study known as the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative. The lead consultant for the study was HDR Engineering. The firm AECOM was the primary sub-consultant. The study recommended a Boston-to-Springfield-to-New Haven intercity route with a maximum speed of 79 miles-per-hour. Despite this, the proposal was never pursued, and funding for the project was never allocated.
East-West Passenger Rail Study (2018-2021)