Public meetings will highlight results of study for proposed NNEIRI passenger service

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
image description
MassDOT

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will air findings on a study to expand regional intercity passenger rail service at three public meetings to be held in Massachusetts and Vermont in September.

 

The study, known as the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative (NNEIRI), examined the potential to expand passenger rail service to serve large and small communities along a 470-mile corridor across New England, Quebec and New York.

Two meetings are planned in Massachusetts and one will be held in Vermont; additional information on the meetings can be found here.

The proposed service would provide both long-distance and regional passenger train services. Covering longer distances than commuter trains, these trains would connect to a large network of metropolitan areas and small towns.

Project stakeholders said the purpose of the proposed service is three-fold: To provide additional regional travel options through quality passenger rail; connect major cities in the Northeast and Quebec with smaller cities and rural areas and create a competitive rail transportation alternative to car, bus and air options.

MassDOT said that after examining needs in the region and possible service options, the study team developed a cost-effective plan for increasing services along the corridor to meet passenger demand during the next 20 years. Proposed service improvements include one roundtrip train between Montreal and New Haven, one roundtrip train between Montreal and Boston and eight roundtrip trains between Boston and New Haven via Springfield. Each train would run local service, stopping at each station, with speed improvements up to 79 mph.

Tags: