October 17, 2026
WEST-EAST RAIL just got closer to becoming a reality.
Gov. Maura Healey announced $130 million in federal funding for the Springfield Hub Modernization Project on Friday, the latest in the state’s push to upgrade rail infrastructure around Springfield Union Station and improve passenger rail service from Albany to Boston.
The long-discussed West-East Rail is one part of the broader Compass Rail project — the Department of Transportation’s vision for intercity passenger rail within Massachusetts, with Springfield as the hub. It is a proposed 171-mile rail corridor linking Boston South Station with Albany–Rensselaer Station in New York, with stops in Worcester, Palmer, Springfield, and Pittsfield. Construction on the tracks between Springfield and Worcester is expected to begin in 2027, with the first trains to run by 2030.
The modernization project is a key phase of the Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project, which will upgrade tracks, signals, and other infrastructure to ease a major rail bottleneck in the city by reducing conflicts between freight and passenger trains.
The Healey administration said the funding will be used to improve on-time performance, reduce delays, and provide more schedule flexibility for Amtrak Vermonter and Valley Flyer passengers along the Connecticut River Line — also known as the Knowledge Corridor — while reducing unnecessary train idling, emissions, and operating costs.
“The idea around Springfield is it’s a very busy area in terms of train traffic, both on the passenger side and the freight side, and the more we can separate the freight and passenger operations, the more flexibility we have for growing passenger service,” Meredith Slesinger, rail and transit administrator for MassDOT, told CommonWealth Beacon in March.
Healey made the announcement in Springfield’s Union Station alongside US Rep. Richard Neal.
“With the federal resources we’ve delivered and the steadfast support of Governor Healey and her administration, we are full steam ahead on a project that will transform regional mobility and economic opportunity in every corner of the Commonwealth,” Neal said.
The grant is an addition to the more than $150 million in federal funding that has already been allocated to the project over the last five years. Healey called it a “major win” for Western Massachusetts and a “big step forward” for West-East Rail.
“This is about connecting Western Massachusetts to opportunities across Massachusetts and beyond throughout the Northeast,” Healey said. “When I was running, I campaigned and supported West-East Rail. I said we were going to get it done, and because of what we’re getting today, we’re going to get that going right in 2027.”
The money was awarded through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program. It is the last of the funding from the Biden-era Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that has provided around $8 billion in transportation investments to the state.
In previous fiscal years, the Legislature has dropped line items from the final state budget that would have funded infrastructure improvements for West-East Rail. Instead, the Healey administration has relied mostly on federal funding opportunities.
The state previously secured $108 million in federal funding for the Inland Route, which will connect Boston, Springfield, and New Haven, Connecticut with two daily Amtrak roundtrips in 2030.
Last week, Healey also announced a new agreement between MassDOT and freight rail provider CSX to expand rail service in and around Pittsfield, calling it not only a big step toward permanent seasonal Berkshire Flyer service between the Berkshires and New York City, but also toward expanded passenger service from Boston to Western Massachusetts. MassDOT has proposed $31 million in its 2027-2031 Capital Investment Plan to support the work.
Courtesy of Commonwealth Beacon
