AN AGREEMENT STRUCK between the Department of Transportation and railroad company CSX will reduce conflicts between freight trains and the state’s desire to further expand passenger rail service in the Berkshires, the Healey administration said Thursday.
MassDOT has agreed to fund construction of a new siding and other track improvements around Pittsfield to increase rail capacity, and to consider the feasibility of a new platform at Pittsfield Station, work the governor’s office said “will provide the infrastructure needed to support permanent seasonal weekend Berkshire Flyer service and lay additional groundwork for expanded passenger rail in Western Massachusetts.” CSX owns the tracks and MassDOT says the work will benefit freight as well as passenger trains, but the administration did not specify what CSX committed to under the agreement.
The Berkshire Flyer service has operated summer weekend passenger rail service between Pittsfield and New York City since 2022. Amtrak runs the trains, supported by MassDOT. At the same time, the state has been inching toward expanding passenger service from Boston, through Worcester, Springfield, and Pittsfield to Albany, New York, via the long-discussed East-West Rail project. All are part of the state’s “Compass Rail” vision for intercity passenger rail throughout Massachusetts.
“The Berkshire Flyer has already shown what better transportation connections can mean for a region — more visitors, stronger local businesses and another reliable option for residents,” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said. “Now we’re taking the next step by making the infrastructure investments needed to sustain this service for the long term while continuing to move our broader passenger rail vision forward for Western Massachusetts.”
Pittsfield Mayor Peter Marchetti said the rail connection to New York City is “an important asset” for his city. But MassDOT says the service’s “on-time performance has been hampered by conflicts with freight trains,” and notes that there are long stretches of single track on the CSX-owned corridor between Albany and Pittsfield.
MassDOT included $31 million for the Pittsfield track capacity project in its most recent capital plan. A year ago, the department said its planning showed “that adding a 3-mile siding track (second track for passing trains) in Richmond near the Pittsfield border and a new track switch in Pittsfield would bring operational benefits by increasing corridor capacity.”
