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 [...]
China has been investing billions in a high-speed rail network across the country, between major cities and into rural regions. Here’s what it's like to ride one of these trains leaving Shanghai for Beijing. It will get up to 350 km per hour (that’s 217 miles per hour). High-speed rail is expensive, but it [...]
It’s Time For America To Get Serious About Fixing The Trains This article by Amy Crawford explains that "Instead of spending billions to bail out airlines, advocates argue for a more carbon-friendly pandemic investment: railroad travel." Rail is the mode that “best supports 21st-century development in bustling urban centers, walkable downtowns even in much smaller cities [...]
Here's our interns' report on the East-West Rail Study meeting last week. They are also participating in our weekly "Office Hour," an informal meeting that anyone can join. Today, at 2pm, we'll be talking about the economic benefits of rail. The Zoom link is below, along with a list of other events, including a program in partnership with [...]
It’s been a painful week in America and for America. Our hearts go out to those who are suffering, and our thanks to all those who are stepping up to make a difference. Our country now has to deal with the challenge of economic recovery, face up to long-standing issues of racial discrimination and social [...]
Today, we’d like to introduce the Train Campaign’s 2020 summer interns, Graham Lewis (below right) and Ethan Michalowski (below left), who are working with the Train Campaign this summer. Graham is in Georgia and Ethan is in Wisconsin, but they couldn't be more enthusiastic about the projects underway in our region. You’ll also find a summary [...]
I remember my first visit to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1992. I was newly arrived in Berkshire County from London, in England, where I had worked for nearly a decade after college. I’d landed in a little New England town called Great Barrington. My head was full of utopian ideas. I’d been reading an American writer [...]
The tracks are humming! We’re expecting further news about the East-West (or West-East) Rail Study soon, and SB2096 “An Act Special act funding a study of passenger service on the housatonic rail line” sponsored by Sen. Adam G. Hinds (D) was referred to Joint Committee on Rules on Thursday, April 30. Thanks to Rep. Smitty Pignatelli, too, for [...]
Work continues on the Housatonic (Berkshire) Line during COVID-19 crisis, 17 April 2020. Photo taken in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. While we're sheltering in place, and flattening the curve, there's a lot going on that suggests a bright future for rail, for our region, and for the planet. (By the way, the 50th anniversary [...]
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. [...]
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