Cargo rail line running through Western Mass. gets $10.8M from feds, $9.6M from state for modernization
The New England Central Railroad will use the federal money along with $9.6 million in state money and its own $9.6 million investment to replace 31 miles of rail and 20,000 cross ties, and to strengthen 20 bridges. The current state of the infrastructure doesn’t allow for the movement of today’s average freight cars, decreasing the amount of cargo that is shipped on the line. The modernization will specifically be paid for from the $10.8 million from the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program along with $9.6 million in state funding through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the $9.6 million investment from the New England Central Railroad, according to U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey.