Opportunity -- Existing Rail Network

The Worcester and Metro-West area has a network of existing rail lines that could provide needed relief to the regions roadway traffic -- both truck and passenger vehicles. (Note: Click on Map to Expand)

Streaching from Worcester eastward to Boston is the CSX Boston Line -- providing an alternative to The Mass Pike and Route 9. South from Worcester is the Providence and Worcester line that traverses the Blackstone Valley to Providence providing an alternative to Route 146. Running from North Grafton to Milford is the G&U freight line that ties in with CSX and MBTA's Franklin Commuter Line. This provides relief from traffic on I-495. Both the P&W and G&U lines provide an alternative freight and commuter route into the Boston-Metro area. Heading northeast from Worcester is the PanAm Ayer Branch that links with the MBTA's Fitchburg Line and South from Fitchburg is the CSX freight line through Leominster, Lancaster, Clinton, Northborough, Marlborough and Southborough -- all towns without commuter rail. These lines provide an alternative to I-495, Route 20 and I-190. From Framingham southward to Walpole and Mansfield is another key connector line that bisects with the Amtrak Northeast Corridor and on to the SouthCoast area via Attleboro. This route provides reiief to I-95, 128 and 24 and 27.

In total these lines provide significant opportunity to handle the anticipated growth in roadway traffic and a green alternative for both the movement of freight and people. Note that the color coding on the map relates to the Massaschuseets Planning Organization territory boundaries. Certainly these groups will need to get together on a unified plan...

Freight rail more than doubles trucks' fuel efficiency

11/20/2009 From Progressive Railroading: Eye on the Environment. Freight rail more than doubles trucks' fuel efficiency, FRA study shows.

Yesterday, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released a study showing freight-rail fuel efficiency increased 22 percent between 1990 and 2006.

Entitled “Comparative Evaluation of Rail and Truck Fuel Efficiency on Competitive Corridors,” the study determined that diesel-electric locomotive improvements, increased double-stack train usage, track and signal upgrades, and longer trains were the primary fuel-efficiency drivers.

Conducted by ICF International, the study found that rail fuel efficiency varies from 156 to 512 ton-miles per gallon while truck fuel efficiency ranges from 68 to 133 ton-miles per gallon.

Case Study: Freight Rail drives Industrial Development Project on Long Island, NY.

Reported by Railway Age, Thursday, November 19, 2009

A $5 million grant paves the way for new railroad spur in New York. A $4.8-million federal grant will let Riverhead Town, N.Y., live out its longtime dream of having freight trains running to and from the Enterprise Park at Calverton, the Riverhead News Review reports. The entire cost of rehabbing the Calverton rail spur, which leads into the park, will be funded with federal stimulus money, lawmakers said. "Not only will these funds create needed construction jobs in Riverhead and ease traffic congestion along highways, but it will lower the cost of transporting goods on Long Island," U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. "This project is a win-win-win for Long Island," said Congressman Tim Bishop (D-Southampton), who, along with Schumer, helped secure the funds. "Transporting goods by freight to and from Calverton will lower the costs of goods, create jobs and remove trucks from our crowded roadways." The spur, which hasn't been in use for a quarter-century, runs along Connecticut Avenue before linking up with the Long Island Rail Road's main line. It was used by the Grumman Corporation to transport materials when the company built Navy fighter jets at the site, which is now referred to as EPCAL. Grumman abandoned operations in 1994, with the Navy turning the land over to the town for economic development. Above all, local officials are hoping the option to ship materials by rail will increase the attractiveness of Calverton to potential developers and business owners. "This award is monumental in terms of infrastructure to support long-term economic development for EPCAL and the East End region," said John Dunleavy, a Riverhead Town Board member. The town, which was recently awarded a $650,000 grant from the state for the spur project, has begun preliminary planning and engineering work. It also expects to start negotiating with the Long Island Rail Road and the New York and Atlantic Railway, a freight company, according to Christine Kempner of the town Community Development Agency. Lawmakers noted that less than two percent of goods are brought to Long Island by train, the lowest percentage of any metropolitan area served by rail. One example of a benefit of a rail spur, according to the press release issued by Schumer and Bishop, would be the price of stone, which is higher on Long Island than anywhere in the state. "Building and road construction on Long Island uses millions of tons of stone," the release reads. "This spur would help reduce the price of stone and has been requested by regional quarries for years."

A model for Boston -- CSX to create double-stack corridor in Philadelphia.

From Progresssive Railroading: Yesterday, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and CSX Corp. Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Ward marked the construction of a double-stack corridor designed to expand Philadelphia's freight transportation options and position the region for growth.

The project calls for clearing 16 overhead bridges to foster a faster and more-efficient intermodal connection with the Midwest. The corridor will be funded by $10 million from two federal sources, $10 million from the commonwealth and more than $12million from CSX.

Editor's note: Unlike the doublestaking plan in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania is encouraging the expansion of intermodalism and terminals within the city of Philadelphia. Their plan will integrate port and rail access and will not have the collateral impacts of increased truck traffic from intermodal terminals outside of Philadelphia's urban core. Pennsylvania's Govenor, Ed Rendell has been outspoken and supportive of rail and transportation infrastructure initiatives as a key ingredient of long term business development.

Massachusetts spends stimulus dollars on MBTA trackwork laborers

11/17/2009 Progressive Railroading reports Massachusetts spends stimulus dollars on MBTA trackwork laborers. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick recently announced the state will use stimulus funds to hire 15 track laborers to help upgrade a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter-rail line.

The $9 million project, which is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and state’s recovery plan, calls for modernizing the Fitchburg line along MBTA’s 50-mile corridor from Fitchburg to Boston. The line is the longest in MBTA’s system in terms of distance and travel time.

The project will enable the authority to increase capacity and provide faster travel times on the line, according to MBTA. The authority has applied for additional stimulus funds to complete double tracking on the line, which would boost train speeds up to 80 mph, improve on-time performance up to 12 percent, and reduce operating and maintenance costs, MBTA officials said in a prepared statement.

Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad retains a contract to operate and maintain MBTA’s commuter-rail network.

Get Involved!

Until the creation of EMFRC, Massachusetts has no organized forum focused exclusively on freight rail interests in Eastern Massachusetts. We seek to promote and support actions by both public and private entities geared to leveraging Freight Rail’s recognized benefits for economic development, environmental and congestion relief, fuel economy, easing the strain on public infrastructure, and fostering improved land use.

Prospective EMFR Coalition members include:

Active freight rail users in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Southern Maine that receive goods from Eastern Massachusetts via rail.

Logistics service vendors (local cartage firms, transloaders, warehousemen, etc.)

Public sector units/elements whose own respective charters have synergies with EMFRC's

Special interest groups (environmental, land use, planners, etc.)

Freights RR’s (segmented as below):

a. line-haul RR’s that now serve eastern Mass
b. connecting shortlines in the area
c. other freight RR’s operating in MA

Communities and other citizen groups seeking to improve transportation infrastructure.

If you would like to get involved send an email to:

info@emfrc.org

Presentation by Dan Wahle of the Mass Coastal Railroad

Next Meeting of the RTAC Freight Committee will be on Wednesday November 18, 2009. It will begin at 1 PM in the MPO's Conference Room, Suite 2150 of the State Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza, Boston. A full Advisory Council meeting will follow at 3 PM in Conference Rooms 2 and 3 of the State Transportation Building.

The highlight of the November Freight Committee meeting is a presentation by Dan Wahle of the Mass Coastal Railroad. The agenda will also include a briefing on House Bill 3355 to Create a State Infrastructure Bank.