Rail boost to redraw Valley map

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - Northampton and Greenfield are poised to get back on the railroad map with President Barack Obama's decision to award $8 billion in federal stimulus funding to high-speed rail projects nationwide, announced during his State of the Union address Wednesday night. Of that amount, $70 million will support the development of the "Knowledge Corridor," a regional rail system with stops in the Franklin and Hampshire county seats.

Gov. Deval Patrick described the proposed high-speed line along the Connecticut River and Interstate 91 as a "cornerstone for regional rail and regional economic growth."

"This is exceptional news," Patrick said in a release, adding, "This $70 million will support long-awaited improvements, create jobs and restore access to cities in the Pioneer Valley ... I couldn't be more thrilled or more grateful."

Also applauding the release of stimulus funding was Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who has been a vocal advocate for railway projects and was the lead author of the High-Speed Rail for America Act.

"High-speed rail is jobs and the future," Kerry said in a statement. "This investment will create immediate jobs, help fix our crumbling infrastructure system, and put our rail systems on par with the high-tech systems across the globe."

As a member of the Finance Committee, Kerry worked to include significant investments in high-speed rail corridors as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Kerry provision allows transit projects to receive tax-exempt financing, and also requires that high-speed trains reach speeds of 150 mph, according to the release.

The Knowledge Corridor project will rehabilitate the existing Connecticut River rail line connecting Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont. It calls for rerouting the existing 60.4-mile-long line, from Northfield to Amherst to Palmer to Springfield, to a 49.8-mile-long track from Northfield through Greenfield, Amherst and Northampton to Springfield. Reducing the distance of the line by 11 miles, officials reported, should eliminate the need for a time-consuming reverse movement at Palmer.

The revised route will provide for two new station stops, one at the former Amtrak station in Northampton and another at the soon-to-be-constructed intermodal transportation terminal in Greenfield, which is being built with $12.8 million in reinvestment act funding, according to a plan for the project submitted before funding was made available.

The plans also stipulate that existing Amtrak transit service offered in Amherst will provide a connection to the rail station in Northampton.

According to that same plan, the proposed intercity passenger rail project, which was studied by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in conjunction with the Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works, "has the potential to be a major component in producing economic revitalization, spurring job creation, improving air quality, increasing overall mobility and reducing traffic congestion."

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com