By Bruce Mohl, Commonwealth Magazine; February 6, 2020
A LONG-AWAITED ANALYSIS of East-West rail service indicates passengers could travel between Boston and Springfield in as little as 79 minutes at speeds up to 150 miles per hour, but the cost would be high – with a low-ball estimate putting the price tag at $25 billion.
The analysis by consultants working for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation examined six alternatives containing different options for conveying passengers between Boston and Pittsfield. The 79-minute option to Springfield (two hours and 18 minutes all the way to Pittsfield) would require electrified trains operating on new tracks roughly following the path of the Massachusetts Turnpike.