DANBURY — News that U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., has requested a $2 million grant to take the city’s idea for a fast track to Grand Central station to the next step energized City Hall, which considers the project a key component in the downtown’s revitalization. “Once considered a long shot, a direct passenger rail [...]
Factsheet: The Berkshire (Housatonic) Line The text fis provided for your convenience; you are welcome to use it in your own materials. The printable PDF version is shown at left. Click the link above to open the file. Berkshire Line Factsheet July 2021 The Housatonic Line—also known as the Berkshire Line—was the route [...]
Wayne Davis is renowned for his success in building support for the Downeaster, an exemplary passenger train service that runs from Boston to Maine. He's also known for his continued efforts to strengthen the coalition of rail advocates across New England. In this podcast, Wayne tells his story along with his colleague Bruce Sleeper, who [...]
This article appeared in the CT Mirror on September 6, 2021. The author's explanation of the need for interstate cooperation is directly relevant to the MassDOT proposal for a Western Mass Rail Authority, which you can read more about here. How to get passenger trains on the Housatonic Line by ANDREW JENNINGS Passenger trains to Northwest [...]
A year ago, we did a survey asking what the Train Campaign's priorities should be in 2019. The highest rated item was, "Outreach to federal legislators & campaign for infrastructure funding." We were at that point hoping for a federal infrastructure bill. Our hopes were dashed in May 2019 when talks in Washington broke down. [...]
The sun lit the golden dome of the Massachusetts State House. There was a spangling of tiny red buds on the trees. A soft breeze was blowing. It was a glorious day, just two and a half weeks ago, and I'd spent the afternoon talking to legislators about the Housatonic Line bill. As I drove [...]
Major Transportation Funding Bill Passes the Massachusetts House And here's a good overview from T4MA: Transportation for Massachusetts Summary All six amendments supported by the Western Mass Rail Coalition were included in a consolidated amendment. Now we need to focus on the final language and on getting the bill passed by the senate and then [...]
Contact your state representative TODAY and ask them to support both of these bills: H.4506 An Act Authorizing and Accelerating Transportation Investment H.4508 An Act Relative to Transportation Finance These two bills will help fund our transportation system, provide regional equity for statewide transportation investments in public transit, roads, and bridges to reduce congestion, provide [...]
This interactive webinar had some 25 participants and was held online in 2013, before the 2014 purchase by Massachusetts Department of Transportation of the 37-mile railway line in Massachusetts. The speakers came from the Housatonic Railroad Company and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. If you want to understand the background for today's discussion of the [...]
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