$108M grant would connect Boston, Hartford by rail
HARTFORD — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Amtrak and transport company CSX are seeking a $108 million grant to connect the rail lines between Hartford and Boston.
If awarded, the funding would come from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Fiscal Year 2022 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program. While none of the construction would occur on Connecticut soil, the eventual east-west connection in Massachusetts would bridge the Hartford and New Haven stations to Boston.
“The fact that you can’t take a convenient commuter rail from Connecticut’s capital city to Boston is an indictment of the state of regional rail,” Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said. “It’s long past time that the critical link between Springfield and Worcester gets completed.”
The total project cost is estimated
to be $135 million. The Massachusetts DOT plans to contribute more than $18 million and Amtrak $9 million toward the project if the grant is received. The new construction will allow for two daily, roundtrip connections between Boston, Worcester and Springfield.
Connecticut riders could take the Hartford line north to Springfield. Hartford riders who now travel to Boston take a commercial bus or car, Bronin said.
“We often talk about Hartford’s locations, you know, sitting between New York City and Boston as a major strategic asset,” Bronin said. “But our ability to capitalize on that location is limited without better public transit connections.”
The proposed project would include improvements that would increase train speeds and corridor capacity along the 53-mile section of the CSX Boston and Albany Line between Worcester and Springfield, according to a news release from the Massachusetts DOT. Bronin said he’s been submitting public testimony to the Massachusetts General Assembly on behalf of the improvements for years.
Renato Muguerza, of Hartford, has become accustomed to driving when he wants to visit Boston. However, he said he’d much rather take a train.
“I pay the tolls and sit in traffic and deal with complications of driving around such a big city,” Muguerza said.
He welcomed the news that Massachusetts was making moves to connect the cities.
“I find it just it doesn’t make sense for us not to have a line straight through to get back,” Muguerza said. “So it kind of was a little bit of a relief and a little bit of finally arriving at a point of common sense.”
Jim Gildea, chair of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council, said in the past much of the transportation planning in Connecticut has focused on getting people to New York City.
He’s hoping this grant will begin to change that approach in favor of a more regional perspective.
“I think whenever you see opportunities to move people to Hartford, move people to Springfield, move people to Massachusetts and also in the other parts of the state, moving people on the Shoreline East, you know, from New London, to Westerly, (R.I.) from Mystic to Westerly. I think we really have to start to look at rail transportation much bigger.”
Gildea also highlighted the potential positive environmental effects of reducing the number of cars on the road.
“It certainly would be an exciting opportunity to move people. It’s certainly an exciting opportunity in the area of economic development, tourism,” Gildea said. “So I’m cautiously optimistic.”