For decades, residents, transit advocates, and business and civic leaders in western Massachusetts have been working to make West-East Rail a reality, because we know that reliable passenger rail service between our four western counties, central Massachusetts, and Boston will be a game changer to connect our local economies and unlock access to jobs, education, and resources.
After years of studies, community meetings, and countless hours of advocacy, we are closer than ever before. The first trains are on track to start rolling in 2030, thanks in no small part to nearly $157 million in federal funding, secured with the support of U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, and Representatives Richie Neal and Jim McGovern.
But when Sen. Markey’s opponent, Congressman Seth Moulton, was asked about West-East Rail during the Western Massachusetts Democratic Primary Debate for U.S. Senate, Moulton discounted that critical funding and dismissed the commonwealth’s entire plan for West-East Rail, saying “no one is going to ride your train because it’s too slow.”
Unfortunately, Congressman Moulton’s dismissal of our progress on West-East Rail is deeply misguided, and reflects a misunderstanding of the project’s history, our region, and the technical and financial realities of such a monumental undertaking. Senator Markey has been an invaluable ally on West-East Rail, but it’s not “his train” — West-East Rail is an achievement that belongs to all of us. When Congressman Moulton belittled West-East Rail, he didn’t just minimize Sen. Markey’s efforts; he minimized the work of the countless committed advocates throughout western Massachusetts who have worked tirelessly for decades to bring viable passenger rail to the region.
Congressman Moulton dismissed the efforts of a whole community on the verge of achieving reliable rail service. While that may not be exciting to him, these investments represent meaningful steps that will provide very real economic, safety, and environmental benefits for western Massachusetts and the entire commonwealth. Moulton’s assertion that “no one” will ride the train also is not supported by fact — MassDOT models anticipate hundreds of thousands of boardings per year once West-East Rail gets rolling.
While Mr. Moulton pitches a theoretical “faster” project, what he isn’t telling voters is that his proposal is backed by exactly zero dollars, would cost tens of billions more than the current West-East Rail project, and ignores technical limitations that we have long understood — further delaying and maybe even jeopardizing our chances of finally seeing West-East Rail come to fruition.
But Seth Moulton wouldn’t know any of that because, despite his rhetoric about the need for more passenger rail, he has never meaningfully engaged in the work required to make West-East Rail a reality.
By contrast, Sen. Markey has shown up as a champion for West-East Rail since day one. It was Markey who fought to include $66 billion in guaranteed funding for rail programs in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and it is those funds that are currently making West-East Rail a reality. But he isn’t stopping there: Markey currently leads the Senate’s most ambitious passenger rail bill, the All Aboard Act, which would invest over $200 billion into high-speed rail across the country.
In Massachusetts, we expect our elected representatives to offer us a bold vision for the future, but we also expect our leaders to deliver results. By trivializing these meaningful steps our region is taking in partnership with Senator Markey, Congressman Moulton exposed himself to be transfixed with his own ambitions for tomorrow, without much interest in lending a hand to build the foundation today.
As Senator Markey often says, a vision without funding is a hallucination. So, while Mr. Moulton dreams about his imaginary train, we look forward to continuing to work together with Senator Ed Markey to keep West-East Rail on track.
State Senator Adam Gómez represents the Hampden District. State Senator Jake Oliveira represents the Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester District.