Today’s Headlines
West-East Rail updates
• MassDOT Secures $3.5 Million to Advance West–East Rail Planning
• Inland Route developments
• Palmer Station Planning Progress
• Pittsfield Station Second Platform Study Announced
• Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project Update
• Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited Returns to Massachusetts
• Nine Years Later, the Southbound Vermonter Is Still Late
• Northern Tier Rail Update
Calendar
Wed. February 25, 2026 | Vermont Rail Advisory Council
1 pm – 3 pm | VTrans, 2178 Airport Rd, Barre, VT
(hybrid meeting w/online option)
West-East Rail Updates
MassDOT Secures $3.5 Million to Advance West–East Rail Planning
Credit: Hoang ‘Leon’ Nguyen / MassLive
On August 25th, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced that MassDOT has secured $3.5 million to advance planning work for the West–East Rail project.
The funding, awarded through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) Program, will support a two-year effort to develop a Service Development Plan (SDP) for proposed new passenger rail service along the Boston–Albany corridor via Springfield.
The new SDP will build on the 2016 Inland Route SDP, developed as part of the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative, as well as findings from the East–West Rail Study. For the corridor west of Pittsfield, however, a fresh analysis will be required, as this segment was not included in the previous study.
In coordination with the FRA, NYSDOT, and CSX (the owner of the rail corridor west of Worcester) MassDOT will evaluate the feasibility of expanded Boston–Albany service, define proposed service levels, and identify the infrastructure improvements needed to make the route viable. The plan will also examine operating, financial, and network impacts, while establishing a roadmap for implementation and future governance.
The Corridor ID Program is designed to create a national pipeline of ready-to-build intercity passenger rail projects. Currently there are 69 corridors in the Corridor ID pipeline.
Further information
Boston & Albany Corridor project
Compass Rail | MassDOT
Inland Route Developments
In September 2025, MassDOT released an update on Early Action projects for the Inland Route, intended to support two daily passenger rail round trips between Boston, Springfield, and New Haven.
The program consists of four primary projects:
Track and speed improvements between Worcester and Springfield, raising the Maximum Authorized Speed to 80 mph on select segments. The work also includes three new double-track segments totaling 9.2 miles, which — along with other improvements — will increase corridor capacity and operational flexibility.
An additional Positive Train Control (PTC) overlay on the Boston–Worcester segment. This will allow CSX freight trains to operate over MBTA trackage without changing locomotives.
Approximately 1.7 miles of new track in North Grafton, reducing the amount of time freight trains occupy the main line while interchanging cars with the Grafton & Upton Railroad.
Removal of the legacy cab signal system between Worcester and Schodack, New York, a remnant from the 1980s when Conrail owned this line. CSX will replace it with conventional wayside signals consistent with the rest of its network and with future Amtrak operations.
One of the notable aspects of these Early Action projects is that the improvements are clearly designed to benefit both freight and passenger operations.
Upgrades like the new track in North Grafton, the removal of legacy cab signals, and the additional double-track segments will allow CSX freight trains to move more efficiently while also supporting the planned Boston–Springfield–New Haven passenger rail service and the future Boston–Albany service.
By aligning infrastructure upgrades with both freight and Amtrak operational needs, the corridor is being prepared for higher speeds, increased capacity, and more reliable service for all trains, which is win-win for everyone.
Further reading
Inland Route intercity passenger rail service
Compass Rail | MassDOT
Palmer Station Planning Progress
Source: Presentation deck, Palmer Meeting #2, page 23
On October 7, MassDOT hosted a public information meeting at Palmer High School on a proposed new passenger train station in Palmer. The station is planned for a currently vacant parcel off South Main Street, located south of the Palmer rail yard.
At the meeting, MassDOT and its consultants presented a high-level overview of the transportation planning considerations associated with the proposed South Main Street site. The presentation also summarized preliminary work completed to date on the station’s market analysis.
The project team walked attendees through an early conceptual design, which calls for an open-air, 800-foot-long high-level platform capable of accommodating a full eight-car Amtrak Airo train set. The preliminary layout includes 54 parking spaces for personal vehicles, along with a designated area that would allow PVTA buses to safely access and serve the station.
Source: Presentation deck, Palmer Meeting #2, page 17
MassDOT is currently finalizing several key planning documents, including the Conceptual Design Report, the Transportation Impact and Access Study, the Market Analysis, and the Environmental Review. These materials are expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
The only hitch in the process would appear to be from the owners of the Steaming Tender restaurant and a local group known as the Central Corridor Passenger Rail Coalition.
Representatives from both have argued that any new station must be located downtown, adjacent to the restaurant. They reiterated this position during the October 7 meeting and distributed a letter from their attorney demanding additional information and actions from MassDOT.
From our perspective, MassDOT has conducted a broad and transparent planning process that has actively solicited input from a wide range of local and regional stakeholders.
The South Main Street site appears to be a strong and practical location for a new station, all factors considered. We believe the project should continue moving forward into final design and construction without delay.
Further reading
Video: Palmer Rail Station Meeting at PHS (1hr 51m)
M-PACT TV | October 7, 2025
Palmer Station planning & design
Compass Rail | MassDOT
Pittsfield Station Second Platform Study Announced
Wikimedia Commons image – adapted | User Pi.1415926535
In September MassDOT announced that it had selected a consultant to facilitate a planning and design study for a second station platform adjacent to the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center in Pittsfield.
The existing 145-foot low-level platform (shown in the image above) is currently used by Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited service. MassDOT intends to conduct an alternatives analysis to identify a conceptual design to install a second platform at the station in Pittsfield.
Based on the conceptual design for the proposed Palmer station, one could assume that MassDOT’s intention is to prepare a design with a modern 800-foot high-level platform at this station too.
Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project Update
MassDOT continues to advance the Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project, a major effort to improve rail capacity and day-to-day operations in and around Springfield Union Station.
The current track layout, shaped by decades of incremental changes, has become a choke point that constrains reliable operations and limits future growth for both passenger and freight rail service in the region.
The proposed new layout of the tracks and platform in Springfield is shown in the diagram below.
As of September 2025 | MassDOT
As of September 2025, MassDOT, working in coordination with Amtrak, CSX, and other rail stakeholders, has completed a 30% design plan.
The 30% design plan outlines improvements to track alignments and switches, train signaling systems, station platform configurations and length, and a new train layover and servicing facilities to the east of the current station.
The project is expected to advance to the Final Design phase in 2026, funded by the $36.8 million Federal Railroad Administration grant that was awarded in November 2024.
Further reading
Springfield area track reconfiguration project
Compass Rail | MassDOT
Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited Returns to Massachusetts
Credit: Erik Landrum/Flickr | October 22, 2023
Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited service between Boston South Station and Albany–Rensselaer is back in service after several months of substitute bus service.
Train service on this segment was suspended in May due to a significant landslip along the route in East Greenbush, NY, just south of Albany.
To mitigate the landslip a geotechnical contractor was brought in to stabilize the hillside slope adjacent to the rail corridor, which happened to be owned by Amtrak. A retaining structure was constructed to restrain the soil and prevent potential landslides or slope failure.
During the outage, Amtrak maintained service with chartered buses that operated in place of the train service, which was not ideal but better than no service at all. Amtrak crews at times worked six days a week, up to 10 hours a day, to complete repairs and return the line to service.
The Lake Shore Limited makes stops in Back Bay, Framingham, Worcester, Springfield, and Pittsfield once in each direction daily. The train also continues to and from Chicago, and intermediate stations along the route.
The Lake Shore Limited is one of Amtrak’s Long Distance Service routes.
Further reading
Amtrak’s current East–West rail service
Trains In The Valley
Nine Years Later, the Southbound Vermonter Is Still Late
We first wrote the late southbound Vermonter back in 2016, when Northampton only had a short 46-foot platform.
Northampton, Mass. | August 19, 2015 | 2.36 pm (25 minutes late)
Fast forward nine years, and the train is still departing late from Northampton almost every day.
In 2016, we appeared before the Vermont Rail Advisory Council in Montpelier to make the case for improving on-time performance, particularly given that Northampton has open station platforms. Soon thereafter, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) applied for and won a federal grant to fund improvements along the line, with the goal of lifting numerous slow orders.
Despite these efforts, the situation has changed little in recent years, as shown in the chart below.
Southbound Vermonter departure delays @ NHT by calendar year
| Year | Days on-time | Median departure delay |
| 2022 | 1 out of 352 days | 17 mins |
| 2023 | 12 out of 357 days | 20 mins |
| 2024 | 3 out of 327 days | 12 mins |
| 2025* | 3 out of 339 days | 11 minutes |
(*) January 1, 2025 — December 18, 2026
Keep in mind that a median delay departing Northampton of 11 minutes in 2025 means that 50% of all southbound Vermonter trains have departed 11 or more minutes late this year.
For its part, VTrans has continued working on the problem, but progress has been slow.
We recently renewed our effort by presenting an updated analysis to VTrans ahead of the November 19, 2025 meeting of the Vermont Rail Advisory Council. (A copy of this analysis was also provided to MassDOT.)
During the meeting, VTrans acknowledged the ongoing delays and noted that four long-term slow-order locations remain along the Vermonter route. These locations are the responsibility of the New England Central Railroad, and VTrans indicated that the underlying conditions are expected to be addressed during the summer of 2026.
So for those standing out in the cold this winter in Northampton waiting for the southbound Vermonter, relief may finally be on the horizon — in the summer of 2026.
Further reading
The Late Southbound Vermonter – an analysis
Trains In The Valley | November 18, 2025
Northern Tier Rail Update
MassDOT has awarded $90,000 to the Franklin County Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) to fund an economic impact analysis of the proposed Northern Tier Passenger Rail service.
The study will examine how passenger rail service along the Route 2 corridor could affect local economies in Worcester, Franklin, and northern Berkshire counties.
The analysis will look at potential regional benefits, including construction and operating impacts, tourism growth, housing development near stations, workforce attraction, and job creation.
In a recent Athol Daily News article, FRCOG Transportation Program Manager Beth Giannini said the study will build on MassDOT’s earlier Northern Tier Rail Study, with a focus on local economic impacts. MassDOT funding will support consultants working in collaboration with FRCOG, the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, and the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission.
The economic impact study is expected to be completed in fall 2026.
Further reading
“Northern Tier Passenger Rail economic impact study on horizon”
By Aalianna Marietta | Athol Daily News | December 3, 2025