More passenger trains could be in Greenfield’s future within the next five years, says Franklin Regional Council of Governments Transportation Manager Maureen Mullaney.
“We’re very optimistic we’re going to be able to do something, in the neighborhood of six to eight runs a day, to make it possible to commute to work, maybe four round-trips plus the (Amtrak) Montrealer,” Mullaney told the regional planning board recently.
The “Knowledge Corridor” rail service, with stops also in Northampton, Holyoke and Springfield, she said, would likely make use of used MBTA trains the state Department of Transportation plans to purchase and refurbish.
Since last year, Amtrak service has been making two stops, one northbound and one southbound, in Greenfield, she said. A recent decision by the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board will lead to a 120-foot extension of the train platforms in Greenfield and Northampton.
Two of the three options being considered by the state for adding train service would make use of the refurbished MBTA cars, with operation either by Amtrak or the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Mullaney said. The Connecticut DOT plans to expand its New Haven–Springfield train service to 25 trips a day by 2017, she said.
“Nothing precludes them from running (farther north),” Mullaney added. “They were very open to those discussions. It may be a really good opportunity for us.”
A third option being considered is for Amtrak to operate Amtrak equipment between Springfield and Greenfield.
The Franklin COG and its counterpart to the south, the Pioneer Valley Regional Planning Agency, are committed to using their combined federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program money to run a two- or three-year pilot operation beginning sometime in the next five years, and ideally in the next two or three years.
After meeting with the Connecticut DOT officials, “I felt a lot more optimistic,” Mullaney said. “It seemed easier to do something than it did initially. It had felt unwieldy.”
Asked about providing for parking, Mullaney said it is possible for people to apply to the town for a long-term parking permit, and she hoped there would be a provision for rail parking if the town succeeds in winning funding for a parking garage across Olive Street from the train and bus station.
You can reach Richie Davis at rdavis@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 269