BOSTON – A multi-year rail-transportation agreement between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and intermodal transportation giant CSX Corp. “significantly increases options for commuters and lays the groundwork for improving the flow of product shipments,” state and company officials said in a statement today.
The agreement will expand commuter-rail service to Worcester by the end of the month and help speed completion of the South Coast Rail project. (READ MORE) Financial details were not disclosed.
Commuter rail “is an important part of the governor’s statewide transportation plan to relieve congestion,” Mass. Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen said in a statement today. “Reaching agreement on important terms for four strategic rail assets, including the CSXT-owned portion of the lines to the South Coast, moves a top priority – South Coast Rail – one step closer to reality.”
The agreement – the product of nearly four years of talks between CSX and state and federal officials, including the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) – calls for the addition of five commuter trains to serve Worcester, plus possible additional trains “as rail capacity is created,” the parties said today. It also “will facilitate the Patrick-Murray administration’s plan to extend commuter-rail service to New Bedford and Fall River; provide the potential for even more commuter service for Worcester; and create the ability of area companies to ship or receive products on double-stack rail cars,” helping reduce truck traffic on the region’s crowded highways.
“This is an historic day for all of Massachusetts, and most especially for Worcester and the South Coast,” said Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray, who led the state negotiating team. Joining him for announcements today at South Station in Boston and Union Station in Worcester were, among others, U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern and CSX Chairman, President and CEO Michael J. Ward.
Kerry described the pact as “a milestone in the public transportation history of Massachusetts – a history which, for the people of Central and Southeastern Massachusetts had been marked by decades of insufficient rail service.” The deal “is the result of months of intense negotiations between CSXT and federal and state officials,” he added, “and it has the potential to provide an economic boost to the entire commonwealth.”
“Thanks to our partners, Senator Kerry and Congressman McGovern, we’ve reached an agreement that increases commuter options and ultimately could make Worcester the new rail hub of New England,” said Murray, who has been working to expand regional commuter-rail service in the state since his tenure as Worcester’s mayor. “We appreciate CSXT staying at the table and making this agreement a reality.”
The “main elements” of the deal, as laid out in today’s announcement, are:
• By Oct. 27, the MBTA will extend five Framingham-Boston commuter trains to Worcester, via CSX Transportation Inc.’s Boston Line.
At a future date, the commonwealth intends to purchase CSXT’s rights in the line, “increasing the potential for additional commuter service, while also taking control of dispatching and maintenance.”
• As soon as possible, the commonwealth and CSXT will “begin increasing the vertical clearances of bridges along the railroad main line between I-495 and the New York state line,” to make it possible to accommodate double-stack freight trains along the full length of that line. “The commonwealth will assume responsibility for raising highway bridges, while CSXT will be responsible for lowering tracks.”
• By June 2009, Massachusetts will buy CSXT’s New Bedford-Fall River Line, along with the company’s rights in the Boston Terminal Running Track and West First Street Yard in South Boston, and the Grand Junction secondary line from Beacon Park Yard to Cambridge, Mass.
• To expand commuter-rail capacity over time, the state “is investigating whether it can help CSXT to relocate the company’s locomotive service facility out of Boston, in the near term. Ultimately … CSXT also plans to move its operations out of Beacon Park,” the parties added. (The sites to which those facilities would move have yet to be determined.)
“We salute the vision and perseverance of Massachusetts leaders at every level of government,” said Ward, the CSX chief executive.
“The entire nation is recognizing the benefits of freight railroads to the environment, the economy and traffic conditions on our highways,” he added. “One train can carry the load of 280 trucks, and is three to four times more fuel efficient.
“The Massachusetts plan turns existing freight-rail infrastructure into a 21st-Century solution for both commuters and businesses.”
Additional information about transit projects in the Bay State is available from the Mass. Executive Office of Transportation & Public Works at www.eot.state.ma.us.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority – established by state legislation in 1964, to replace the former Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) – traces its history back to the establishment of a public ferry in 1631. Additional information, including schedules for MBTA bus, trolley, subway, boat and commuter-rail service, is available at www.mbta.com.
CSX Corp., based in Jacksonville, Fla., is a leading provider of rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck trainload services. It is the parent of CST Transportation Inc. (CSXT), which took over part of the Conrail system in 1999. Additional information is available at www.csx.com.
