New England states pursue joint plan to revamp rail system

A 20-year transportation proposal to renovate more than 500 miles of passenger rail throughout New England is anticipated to increase speed between stations while unclogging some of the region's congested highways, the Brattleboro, Vt., Reformer reports. The ambitious project, running through Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, is designed to improve connection times and spark economic growth throughout the Northeast.

Transportation officials
from the three states have coordinated a regional vision to connect major
cities and airports, including Bradley International in Windsor Locks in the
hopes of doubling passenger rail ridership by 2030.

Vermont would receive a
boost in its already expanding ridership on the Amtrak line operating from
Franklin County down to Washington, D.C. Estimates from transit representatives
indicate travel time could decrease by as much as an hour from central
Connecticut to southern Vermont.

"Among many of the
outcomes in Vermont will be shaving off an estimated 27 minutes of running time
from St. Albans to the Massachusetts border once the project is complete,"
said Joe Flynn, rail program manager for the Vermont Agency of Transportation. "In
addition to the Massachusetts upgrades, once all three states have completed
this first round of projects, the running time from St. Albans to New York City
is expected to be reduced by 90 minutes."

News of the passenger rail
improvements come at an ideal time — Vermont’s ridership figures from June
2009 to 2010 skyrocketed by 35 percent. Revenues on Amtrak’s Vermonter also
were up 44 percent in June from the previous year.

Ultimately, the goal is to
expand rail to support development in the region (local economics will see a
boost in construction jobs) and add new capacities for the freight trains that
currently dominate the track, said Planning Chief Tom Maziarz with the
Connecticut Department of Transportation. Intermodal connections would also
increase from Bradley to bus systems in Hartford and New Britain that are likely
to promote energy efficiency and reduce automobile, truck and air congestion,
he said.

Maziarz spoke before a packed
delegation of commuters, business owners and civic leaders at Hartford’s Union
Station.

However, long-term success
of this comprehensive, integrated regional rail plan will depend on what was
referred to as the project’s "backbone" — the New Haven, Hartford
and Springfield, Mass., portion. Officials stated the New Haven to Springfield
inland route is the first element, eventually leading to improvements toward
Boston and the Maine coastline. The Vermonter route through western Massachusetts’s
"Knowledge Corridor" towns such as Northampton and Holyoke up to
Montreal is the second element of the project, according to Maziarz.

Roundtrips would
significantly increase at many stations by 2030 if the project is successful. Hartford’s
station would increase from six up to 25 daily roundtrips. Stations like
Brattleboro, Vt., which presently has one northbound and southbound train per
day, would expand to three roundtrips.

The rail service project is
part of a massive spending initiative kick-started by President Barack Obama as
part of his stimulus plan. All three neighboring states have taken federal
money for high-speed rail grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act.

Connecticut has received
$40 million to add a second track, but has also chipped in more than $200
million in state funds for the project. Massachusetts received $70 million to
upgrade the deteriorating Connecticut River line from Springfield to Vermont.

The Green Mountain State
received $50 million to improve the Central New England Railroad track from St.
Albans southward. The renovation will include 80,000 crossties, upgrades to
signage along the route and communication improvements for the railroads.

Vermont is close to
receiving the green light by the Federal Railroad Administration to proceed
with the improvements, but the project is fast-tracked and could begin as soon
as early August.