The long awaited West-East passenger rail project that will eventually connect western Massachusetts to Boston received additional federal funds in a $130 million grant, state transportation officials announced Friday.
The project is on target to connect Springfield to Boston by 2030 said Governor Maura Healey who was at Union Station in Springfield to make the announcement.
"This funding will allow us to upgrade the tracks and signals, increase capacity and reduce delays that have been caused by conflicts between our freight trains and our passenger trains," Healey said.
The funding isn't just about tracks and signals, she said, it's about opportunity and jobs for people in western Massachusetts.
The new federal investment is expected to improve existing passenger rail service along the Connecticut River Line and help lay the groundwork for future West-East Rail connections between Boston, Springfield and Albany.
The project is part of the state’s Compass Rail vision, centered on Springfield Union Station and building on existing Amtrak Vermonter, Hartford Line and Valley Flyer service.
Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno thanked Healey, Congressman Richard Neal and others involved in the project. Sarno said it will be a boon for the region.
"There's some great opportunities here in Western Massachusetts and being able to have that rail to go back and forth in a reasonable amount of time is going to be key for economic development, housing development and a good four letter word, jobs — J-O-B-S," Sarno spelled out.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation was awarded the funding through the Federal Railroad Administration's Fiscal Years 2025-2026 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program to support modernization of the rail infrastructure around Springfield Union Station.
The funding is another major step in the state's efforts to strengthen transportation connections across western, central and eastern Massachusetts, expand access to jobs and economic opportunity, state officials said.
At Union Station, Congressman Richard Neal said he remembers being a candidate for the Springfield City Council in 1977, and back then he promised residents all of this was going to happen.
"I'm not sure I knew, but I got to tell you, it worked," Neal said. "$9 billion came to the state under the [federal] infrastructure bill, and the governor has committed substantial parts of it to these initiatives that we're describing."
Officials say the work will improve on-time performance, reduce delays and provide more schedule flexibility for Amtrak Vermonter and Valley Flyer passengers. The project will also create capacity for future passenger rail service while reducing unnecessary train idling, emissions and operating costs.
