Today’s Headlines
• Compass Rail – Phases I, II & III
• Palmer Station Planning Study Finalized
• Amtrak Advances Interlocking Renewal Project in Springfield
• Vermonter Low-Speed Derailment in East Northfield
• One Track Today, Room for Two Tomorrow in Northampton
• New Hartford Line Coaches Coming Soon
• Hartford Line Customer Survey
• Passenger Rail Braces for Cuts Under Proposed FY2027 Budget
Calendar
Vermont Rail Advisory Council
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
1 pm – 3 pm
VTrans, 2178 Airport Rd, Barre, VT
(hybrid meeting w/online option)
Western Massachusetts Transportation Advocacy Network Forum
Friday, June 12, 2026
Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA
(further details to follow)
Compass Rail – Phases I, II & III
MassDOT has recently put forward an updated plan that could, if enacted, significantly increase the level of passenger rail service in our region in the coming years.
The agency has revealed that it, along with Amtrak and CTDOT, is in discussions about introducing hourly direct service between Springfield and New York City, with some trains potentially operating as Valley Flyer services originating and terminating in Greenfield.
Early indications suggest that Amtrak sees significant untapped demand in this corridor and is particularly eager to increase service frequencies, once new Airo trainsets become available in the early 2030s.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at current service levels and how they could evolve by 2030, 2033, and 2045.
A note — the slides referenced below are from a MassDOT presentation delivered at a meeting hosted by Congressman Richard Neal for elected officials and regional stakeholders on April 1 at Springfield Union Station. A link to the full presentation deck can be found at the end of this article.
The straight-line diagram above shows existing Amtrak-operated intercity passenger rail service in western Massachusetts, with Springfield Union Station (SPG) serving as the hub.
The numbers in blue boxes indicate the number of Compass Rail round trips on each corridor segment.
Not shown on this diagram are the six daily CTrail-operated Hartford Line trains that run round trips between New Haven and Springfield.
South of Springfield, there are two weekday Northeast Regional trains that run to and from Virginia, along with another seven trains that terminate in New Haven, where passengers must transfer to continue their journey.
Looking ahead to 2030, two new Inland Route round trips are expected to be added between Boston, Springfield, and New Haven.
What’s not clear at the moment is what the schedule for these trains might look like. Many assume that, at a minimum, this service would allow passengers from western Massachusetts to arrive in Boston by around 9 am and return in the late afternoon, but this has not been confirmed.
It is also unclear whether these trains will terminate in New Haven or continue onto the Northeast Corridor.
Advancing to 2033, the outlook becomes even more compelling. The diagram shows sixteen daily Amtrak round trips south of Springfield, with projected annual ridership at Massachusetts stations doubling to nearly 600,000 trips compared to 2030.
At this stage, both the Inland Route trains (shown in red) and the Valley Flyer services are depicted as continuing beyond New Haven to destinations along the Northeast Corridor. Whether these trains will extend as far as Washington, D.C., or even into Virginia remains to be determined.
And we see, for the first time, a station in Palmer on the diagram. (More about the Palmer station in the article below.)
Amid this encouraging news, there is also a less favorable development: full service to Pittsfield and Albany-Rensselaer, New York, is not projected to be implemented until 2045—nearly twenty years from now.
Before reacting too strongly to this timeline, it’s worth noting that a great deal can change over such a long period. Predicting outcomes so far into the future is inherently uncertain.
On a more positive note, MassDOT is currently advancing a two-year effort to the formal develop a Service Development Plan for the full Boston & Albany Corridor.
With all of that said, it’s important to acknowledge several caveats before getting carried away with these proposals.
Both Phase II and Phase III service enhancements are currently labeled as “proposed,” indicating that many uncertainties remain and that these phases are not guaranteed to move forward.
Advancing these phases will require two key elements: strong political support — particularly from both Massachusetts and Connecticut for Phase II — and ongoing funding to build the infrastructure necessary to support this expanded level of service.
Time will tell how these plans develop, but there are clearly a number of encouraging developments that would suggest that real progress is being made.
Further reading
Compass Rail Overview and Projects Update presentation deck (PDF)
MassDOT Rail and Transit Division | April 1, 2026
“How Western Mass Can (and Will) Get More Rail Service Comes into Focus…”
Western Mass Politics & Insight | March 30, 2026
“MassDOT In Talks With Connecticut for Hourly Springfield-NYC Amtrak Service”
By Christian MilNeil | StreetsblogMASS | March 19, 2026
Palmer Station Planning Study Finalized
In January 2026, MassDOT completed a state-funded planning and design study for a potential station in Palmer, MA on the Compass Rail West–East Corridor.
Nine possible station sites were initially identified and screened during the study. A first-round analysis eliminated sites that could not physically or operationally support a station—most notably the historic downtown depot site, which was ruled out due to insufficient right-of-way and conflicts with freight infrastructure. Six sites advanced to a more detailed comparison.
A second-phase evaluation compared the remaining sites across engineering feasibility, environmental constraints, mobility access, economic development potential, and implementation considerations. Following this analysis and public input, Site B (south of Palmer Yard) emerged as the preferred alternative.
The preferred side for the Palmer station | Google maps
MassDOT selected Site B because it appeared to be the least expensive and least complex to build, has fewer permitting challenges, maintains good access to downtown Palmer, and allows for future parking expansion.
What happens next?
With a site selected, the project team will begin developing a conceptual design. This will allow MassDOT to engage with the railroad corridor owner (CSX), the site property owner (Sanderson MacLeod), and the service operator (Amtrak) to evaluate the feasibility of constructing a future station at this location.
In parallel, MassDOT will incorporate this work into the development of the Boston & Albany Corridor Service Development Plan, which when complete should provide a path for federal funding for design and construction of the station.
Many people ask why MassDOT continues to refer to this as the “proposed Palmer station.” The reason is that there are still many unknowns with this project. They don’t (we assume) have written agreements from any of the parties noted above to move it forward, and importantly they have not yet identified funding for design and construction of the station. All of this work takes time.
As of now, the opening date for the proposed new station in Palmer is likely to be in the early 2030s.
Further reading
Palmer Station planning & design
MassDOT Rail and Transit Division
Amtrak Advances Interlocking Renewal Project in Springfield
Amtrak crews are making steady progress on a major infrastructure project just west of Springfield Union Station that will completely renew the area’s track, signal systems, and turnouts.
In this image, crews have installed two new signal huts (the white structures on the left) and are currently working on installing cables within a new duct bank running along the fence line.
It also appears that the track adjacent to the former mail loading platform (on the right) has been rebuilt. A new turnout (bottom right corner) has been installed as well, which will eventually provide a new connection between this track and one of the mainline tracks.
This long-anticipated project has been in development for several years, in part due to extended lead times for specialized components. Once completed, it will replace outdated signaling equipment and aging turnouts, improving reliability and operational flexibility in the area.
Further reading
Amtrak Interlocking Renewal project in Springfield
Train In The Valley
Vermonter Low-Speed Derailment in East Northfield, Ma
Video credit: YouTuber Powder & Steel
Amtrak Train 55, the southbound Vermonter, experienced a low-speed derailment on a switch in East Northfield, Massachusetts, shortly before 2:00 pm on Tuesday, January 27. According to reporting from the Greenfield Recorder, the train was traveling at approximately 7 mph when it derailed.
The five-car consist was carrying 113 passengers and five on-duty Amtrak employees. No injuries were reported. One passenger told a television reporter that those onboard were initially unaware the train had left the tracks until they were later instructed to disembark and board buses.
Passengers were bused to stations in Massachusetts, and those in Springfield were rebooked onto another Amtrak train to continue their trips.
Online tracking data indicates the train came to a stop at approximately 1:48 p.m. just north of the switch. The next data point, at 1:51 pm, shows the train stationary on the interlocking, coinciding with the location where the locomotive and one car left the rails.
This image shows the locomotive, which was stopped at the time, off the tracks.
At the time of the incident, the train was traversing an interlocking at the junction of the New England Central Railroad’s Palmer Subdivision and the MassDOT-owned Connecticut River Main Line.
At 2:21 p.m., Amtrak issued a delay alert stating — “Vermonter train 55 is stopped due to an engine failure.”
Under normal conditions, the train would pass through this interlocking at approximately 30 mph without stopping. While no official information has been released, it is possible that a temporary speed restriction issued by the New England Central Railroad required the train to stop and then proceed over the switch at a reduced speed. If so, the reduced speed clearly limited the severity of the derailment.
Further reading
“No injuries reported in Northfield train derailment”
By Anthony Cammalleri | Greenfield Recorder | January 27, 2026
One Track Today, Room for Two Tomorrow in Northampton
Northampton, Mass – looking North | February 21, 2026 | Aerial-MA
Back in February, the Facebook page Aerial-MA shared this excellent drone shot of southbound Vermonter (Amtrak train 57) just moments before its arrival at the Northampton station.
The view looks north from a point just south of the bike underpass. On the left, just beyond the signal displaying red indications, you can see the Walgreens building.
Look closely, though, and you’ll notice something especially interesting: the bike underpass was clearly built to accommodate two tracks—even though only one is in place today.
That’s no accident. Someone at MassDOT planned ahead when designing this underpass, leaving room for future expansion.
And for that kind of forward thinking, we say: thank you.
New Hartford Line Coaches Coming Soon
Back in November 2025 Alstom (the manufacture for the new coaches) and CTDOT unveiled a life-sized model of the state’s future commuter rail cars at Union Station in New Haven.
The wooden mock-up consists of the interior of one half of a car with seats, finishes and a wheelchair-accessible lavatory. (Alstom Press Release)
NBC Connecticut via YouTube | November 24, 2025
This procurement, which was first announced back in 2019, has been a long time coming. From what we’ve heard, the delivery of a set of “pilot cards” (1 Cab car and 3 Trailer Cars) should occur late this year or early next year.
Hartford Line Customer Survey
Do you ride the Hartford Line (Amtrak or CTrail)?
If so, take a few minutes to share your feedback with CTDOT. Your input helps improve schedules, operations, and station facilities along the line.
Please the survey if you ride the Hartford Line: CTrail.com/hlsurvey
The survey closes on Sunday, April 19.
Passenger Rail Braces for Cuts Under Proposed FY2027 Budget
In an April 3 press release, the Rail Passengers Association expressed deep concern over the Trump Administration’s FY2027 Presidential Budget Request, warning that the proposal would significantly scale back federal support for passenger rail and public transportation.
According to the Association, the budget calls for increased military spending alongside cuts to domestic programs — including what it describes as “steep reductions” to both transit and intercity passenger rail.
The proposal includes $26.6 billion in discretionary funding for the U.S. Department of Transportation — a $1.6 billion (6.2%) increase over FY2026 enacted levels. However, much of that increase is directed toward highways and aviation, while funding for transit and passenger rail programs would decline.
Drilling down further, the request would reduce funding for Amtrak to $2.1 billion, down from $2.427 billion in FY2026, and eliminate funding for the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program — one of the primary sources of support for major rail capital projects.
As with any presidential budget, the proposal serves as a starting point in the annual appropriations process. It now moves to Congress, where the House Appropriations Committee and its Senate counterpart will draft their own spending bills.
Historically, Congress has shown bipartisan support for maintaining funding for Amtrak’s existing services, and past appropriations cycles have often rejected deeper cuts proposed at the White House level.
That said, the outlook for capital investment is far less certain. With advance appropriations from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act set to expire after FY2026, the FY2027 process could determine whether funding continues for major rail expansion and modernization efforts — or whether those programs face a significant drop-off.
Of course, with the midterms looming, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the FY2027 transportation appropriations bill slip into the next session amid the usual election-year gridlock.
Further reading
Proposed Funding Cuts Threaten US Passenger Rail Future
Press Release | Rail Passengers Association | April 3, 2026