Study pushes east-west rail forward at last
Governor Charlie Baker is right when he says the concept of an east-west rail line is complicated. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. One step toward making the dream become reality occurred when the Massachusetts Department of Transportation hired a consulting firm to conduct a feasibility study for a line from Boston through Worcester and Springfield and on to Pittsfield. The study will cost $1 million. Such studies often take on the image of unnecessary political stall tactics and a waste of taxpayers’ money, but not this one. It’s necessary to identify issues of cost, projected ridership and maintenance, as well as environmental issues and the concerns of communities which sit along the line.