The Train Campaign is working to restore frequent daily passenger service between New York, Pittsfield, Boston, and Albany – an essential framework for a sustainable future. It was founded in 2011 by Karen Christensen when she returned from a trip to China. She had also lived in England for a decade, and began to build a network of Americans who shared a vision for passenger rail in the United States that wouldn’t be tied to the 20th-century Amtrak model.

Passenger rail initiatives exist across the United States, but Berkshire (Housatonic) Line connecting New York City and western Massachusetts (a primary focus of the Train Campaign) is unique. It is the only project that would bring a completely new passenger service into the center of New York City, an iconic global city whose citizens are also, by far, the most regular and enthusiastic users of public transit in the United States. The Berkshire Line would provide daily, year-round passenger service into New York City – the first in almost 50 years – and could be fully operational within three years. And the Massachusetts portion of the line is already being upgraded to passenger standard! This investment, of nearly $50 million, provides the foundation for the necessary tristate partnership that will make the Berkshire Line, once again, a beloved part of the northeast regional  network.