MassDOT: Boston-Springfield-Pittsfield passenger rail must balance speed, cost and convenience
A commuter train trip from Springfield to Boston could take between 80 and 105 minutes, but only if the state builds a new rail line along the MassPike and connects it to historic Springfield Union Station and Worcester Union Station. But the trip is only marginally longer — about 90 minutes to just under two hours — if new rails are built basically along the existing freight rights of way with curves straightened out, according to a Massachusetts Department of Transportation analysis released Tuesday.