Mass. wins $3.5M in federal funding for West-East Rail

The Healey-Driscoll administration announced yesterday that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has secured $3.5 million in federal funding to continue advancing a cross-state passenger rail service called West-East Rail.

The federal funding was awarded to MassDOT’s Rail and Transit Division, through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program. It will be used to support the Boston-Albany Corridor Service Development Plan, which is an essential step in expanding and enhancing train service connecting Boston to Albany, New York, through Springfield.

The Corridor Identification and Development Program, created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is intended to help guide intercity passenger rail development throughout the country and create a pipeline of intercity passenger rail projects ready for implementation and funding through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership-National Network Program.

The Boston-Albany Corridor Service Development Plan will outline MassDOT’s implementation plan for service expansion and is developed cooperatively with the Federal Railroad Administration.

The plan will demonstrate the feasibility of a Boston to Albany intercity passenger rail route and 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. It will also include an operating plan, a corridor project inventory, and an investment case. The plan will require significant engagement with the public and relevant stakeholders, and it will define a governance structure for project implementation and future operation.

In a prepared statement, Gov. Maura Healey said the expansion of rail service across the state will improve commutes, reduce congestion, and “usher in new housing and economic development opportunities.”

Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt said West-East Rail will be “a lifeline for the communities [along the route], opening doors to economic opportunity, environmental progress, and a stronger, more united Massachusetts.”

The federal funding announcement included strong statements of support from Congressman Richard Neal, whose district includes 83 cities and towns in the western and central parts of the state, U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, and state legislators and other officials.

The funding builds on $108 million in federal funding that Massachusetts secured in 2023 for corridor infrastructure projects to support additional Amtrak service between Boston and New Haven, Connecticut, via Springfield. Massachusetts also won $37 million in 2024 for the Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project to design track, signal and infrastructure improvements at Springfield Union Station. These upgrades will ultimately increase rail capacity and reduce congestion — as part of the broader Compass Rail vision.

Compass Rail — short for Passenger Rail for the Commonwealth — is made up of existing and proposed west-east and north-south services intersecting at a hub in Springfield. The goal of Compass Rail is to enhance mobility, expand transportation choice, and support economic development goals through transportation investments.

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, Vermont, with Massachusetts stops in Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton and Greenfield
• Valley Flyer, between New Haven, Connecticut, and Greenfield, with Massachusetts stops in Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton, and Greenfield
• Hartford Line and Northeast Regional, between Springfield and New Haven, Connecticut, 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. This includes an inland route, to operate between Boston and New Haven, Connecticut, via Springfield, and the Boston and Albany Corridor, via Pittsfield.

MassDOT continues to seek additional financial resources to grow its passenger rail program. The Healey-Driscoll administration currently has approximately $1.27 billion in pending federal transportation funding applications.

For more information, visit MassDOT’s Compass Rail website.