Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | February 19, 2024 | wbjournal.com the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, which total $2 tril- lion in funding. In Massachu- setts, Gov. Healey is seeking to bring the West-East Rail passenger system to fruition, linking Boston to Springfield and New Haven, Connecticut, where it could link with the Metro-North system into New York City. e project received $108 million in federal funding to start the necessary trackwork, and Healey in February named Andy Koziol, a former Rhode Island official with 16 years of transportation experience, to lead the effort. "We have never been closer to mak- ing West-East Rail a reality," Healey said in the Koziol announcement. e TransitMatters proposal sees the Framingham/Worcester line as a vital artery in this system. e Framingham/ Worcester is the third busiest Commut- er Rail line, and ridership is growing, though it's still only 60% to 70% of pre-COVID levels, according to the TransitMatters report. e line averaged 14,500 weekday riders in January, MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said. TransitMatters' proposed improve- ments include an estimated $290 million project to electrify the Commuter Rail, which Moore-Otto said is an important part of reaching the state goal of becom- ing a net-zero carbon emissions state by 2050. Also necessary are additional stations and platform upgrades and walking path infrastructure to make the commuter rail fully accessible and decrease ride time. Some of this work is already underway. A notable project is slated for completion at the end of 2024 for the Natick Center Commuter Rail Station, one of the MBTA's busiest. Marlborough station not seen as viable More details on the Marlborough station and the Agricultural branch are planned for a white paper to be issued by TransitMatters in the future. It will likely include connections with local regional transit authorities to make commuting without cars feasible for employees of destinations outside walking distance. Marlborough government leaders echoed the skepticism from the Marl- borough Regional Chamber of Com- merce and weren't eager to discuss the prospect. Mayor Christian Dumais said in an e-mail statement there needs to be buy-in from the state government for such a concept, and to date, there's been no indication of that. "I am always open to discussion about improving and increasing transportation options in Marlborough," Dumais said. Dumais said he's worked with the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority on "viable and attainable transportation BY EMILY MICUCCI Special to WBJ I n the wake of Gov. Maura Healey in January announcing significant funding to improve the MBTA and in the midst of state and federal pushes for an overhaul of passenger rail, Boston-based public transportation advocacy nonprofit TransitMatters seized the moment to propose a somewhat radical concept: Overhauling the Framingham/Worces- ter Commuter Rail line to create a thriv- ing transit corridor to serve as a viable and cleaner alternative to MassPike. Without naming a funding source, TransitMatters proposed various im- provements to the line easily totaling in the high nine figures: electrifying the entire line to eliminate diesel trains, adding a third line to the tracks to speed up travel times, and installing new stations to make the train accessible, especially to people without cars. One of those proposals called for the reopening of the old Marlborough Junction station, bringing passenger rail to the unofficial economic center of the MetroWest region and the largest community in Central Massachusetts without a Commuter Rail station, despite having an employee population of 25,000 and being home of global and national headquarters for the likes of Boston Scientific, TJX, and Quest Diag- nostics, among others. Yet, even as a pie-in-the-sky concept, Marlborough business and government officials are skeptical. A Marlborough Junction station would be too expensive and little used, and the city has other transportation options, including its bus system and maintaining a commuting culture using cars, especially since the community has ideal highway access. "I don't know if I really see the value in adding a stop," said Steve Messinio, president and CEO of the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce. "Why would [the state and MBTA] want to spend money on something like this?" Marlborough ceased to have passen- ger rail service in 1937. e reopening Marlborough train station? of the Marlbor- ough Junction station near the intersection of Maple and Mill streets would require reactivat- ing a line known as the Agricultural Branch only used by Florida-based freight service megaprovider CSX. "e Agricultural Branch is a bit more of a blue-sky concept," said Jackson Moore-Otto, regional rail project man- ager for TransitMatters. "Once you make the fundamental investments [we're proposing], these ideas become a bit more feasible." A passenger rail corridor e TransitMatters vision for a thriv- ing Framingham/Worcester line with a Marlborough branch comes amid both federal and state pushes for an enhanced passenger rail system. e President Joe Biden Adminis- tration has announced more than $30 billion toward the creation of a nation- wide passenger rail corridor, specifically funding better connections between the Northeast Corridor and Northern Virginia and the rest of the Southeast. Improving passenger rail is part of both PHOTO | EDD COTE Steve Messinio, CEO of Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce Jackson Moore-Otto, TransitMatters rail project manager Amid the national push for enhanced passenger rail, a Mass. advocate is proposing a station for the MetroWest economic capital, but city officials don't see it as a realistic option The site of the former Marlborough Junction station near Maple and Mill streets is now largely inaccessible to foot traffic.

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