MassDOT Completes Acquisition of Framingham Secondary Rail Line
Purchase of line supports existing needs for freight transport; creates potential for future pilot for passenger service
BOSTON – Wednesday, June 17, 2015 – Today, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced it had completed the acquisition of the Framingham Secondary Rail Line, a 21-mile segment of rail that connects Framingham and Mansfield. The line was purchased from CSX Corporation for $23 million.
Purchase of the Framingham Secondary is a strategic investment that links the Framingham/Worcester, Needham, Franklin, and the Attleboro/Northeast Corridor commuter rail lines together. The Framingham Secondary Line is also a major rail corridor for the shipment of freight between several key points in eastern Massachusetts, including Readville, Milford, Franklin, Fall River, and New Bedford, as well as Worcester. The line is also used for passenger service to and from Patriots home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. For the purposes of planning for long-term infrastructure needs, purchase of the line provides added rail capacity that allows for passenger service to travel on alternative routes in cases where capital projects may disrupt normal service.
“After careful consideration of the agreement to purchase the Framingham Secondary Rail Line from CSX, MassDOT concluded that acquiring this rail asset supports our goals of increasing use of freight rail, which takes trucks off our highways and reduces greenhouse gases by consolidating the movement of freight,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. “Additionally, purchase of the line establishes the interconnectivity of four of our major commuter rail lines, which allows us to plan for future rail upgrades in a way that will minimize disruptions by creating options for trains to continue providing passenger service by bypassing sections of rail on any of the four lines that would be under construction.”
Purchase of the line will also guarantee that game-day passenger service to Gillette Stadium for Patriots games will continue. The rail line’s current condition is only slightly above standards required for passenger service. MassDOT’s ownership of the line, coupled with infrastructure upgrades, will allow for the continuation of the successful game-day service. During the 2014-2015 season, 17,128 riders took the train to Foxborough; 6,015 more riders came from Providence, through Mansfield along the southerly end of the Framingham Secondary.
“Beyond the short-term value of supporting the shipment of freight, in the long term, the line has the potential to support future economic development,” said MassDOT Rail and Transit Administrator Astrid Glynn. “The communities to the southwest of Boston are experiencing strong regional growth. Should that trend continue, we would look to engage the surrounding communities in a conversation about the potential for a pilot program of additional passenger rail service.”
Prior to enhanced service, the line would require significant upgrades to track, signals, and switches, to accommodate regular passenger trains. With preliminary upgrades set to begin next spring, any pilot of service would not begin before calendar year 2017.
儘管波士頓該不該在2024年承辦奧運賽，民意頗為兩極，已經改組的“波士頓2024“昨（十七）日進昆士市，公佈有意用史昆頓端公園（Squantum
Point Park）做奧運會沙灘排球賽場地，預定七月辦公聽會，徵詢民意。
波士頓2024是各代表波士頓本地競標承辦奧運會的非牟利組織。接掌該機構執行長職位的Steve Pagliuca表示，修訂後的承辦計畫，比賽規模中等，波士頓市仍是主要比賽場地所在，大約有廿五個地點。
