CSX plans are getting fair review

From The Worcester Telegram:
By: Nick Kotsopoulos Politics and the City

Despite how they are being portrayed by some, state Rep. Vincent A. Pedone, District 2 City Councilor Philip P. Palmieri and other East Side community leaders really do want to see CSX Corp. expand its Worcester freight yard and make it the new rail freight hub for New England.

While they have not been shy about raising issues related to the expansion plan, they don’t view themselves as obstructionists or a bunch of NIMBY yahoos. Instead, they simply want to make sure the expansion does not negatively impact the quality of life on the East Side.

You can’t blame them for that.

“This is our community and this (project) will change the face of our neighborhood and city for years to come,” Mr. Pedone said. “I want this project to happen because it will be good for Worcester, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of our part of the city. We are working with the people at CSX on making changes to this plan for the better. They understand where we are coming from, and they have been accommodating and very reasonable.”

In fact, CSX has invited city officials and community leaders to Atlanta, at the company’s expense, to view the downtown freight yard it has in that city, so they can see firsthand how a state-of-the-art freight yard operates and the positive impact it can have on a community. City Manager Michael V. O’Brien said arrangements for that trip are in the works.

CSX wants to double the size of its freight yard on Franklin Street, from 23 acres to 51 acres. The $100 million project is part of a private-public partnership between the state and CSX to reposition its freight operations in Massachusetts, so the rail line between Worcester and Boston can be opened up to more commuter trains — as many as 20 more daily commuter trains by 2012.

To facilitate the expansion, CSX has to acquire 11 parcels of privately owned commercial properties near the existing freight yard, and acquire portions of public streets. Also, Putnam Lane, which connects Franklin Street to Shrewsbury Street, will have to be closed.

While much of the attention has focused on objections East Side residents have raised about the plan, city officials are also said to have an issue with the bridge to be built on Franklin Street, while state highway officials apparently have concerns about traffic on Grafton Street and access to Interstate 290 from the freight yard.

“This is not just about people of the East Side and the closing of Putnam Lane,” Mr. Pedone said. “We’re not the ones holding this up. Every level of government is involved and they have raised issues of their own, as well.”

Mr. Pedone, Mr. Palmieri and city officials have been quietly meeting with CSX officials to see if they can iron out the concerns that have been raised. The company is said to be spending “a significant amount of money” on developing alternative plans to address those concerns, especially the closing of Putnam Lane.

“The ball is moving forward,” Mr. Palmieri said. “We are diligently trying to reach some resolution. (CSX) is making a real effort, but I think it’s because we have finally gotten their attention. They’re hearing us now, and I don’t think that was the case before.”

Meanwhile, Gary J. Vecchio, president of the Shrewsbury Street Neighborhood Association, said criticism that he and other East Side community leaders have received about objections they have raised about the CSX plan is unfair. He said neighborhood residents aren’t looking to block the plan, they only want to make it better.

“I’ve never seen the entire East Side of the city so united on an issue like this,” Mr. Vecchio said. “The things we are asking for are not unreasonable; they are only meant to make this plan better for everyone.”

Rep. Neal tours Grafton & Upton rail yard

GRAFTON — U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, today toured the Grafton & Upton Railroad, a 16.5-mile short-line freight railroad running through Grafton, Upton, Hopedale and Milford.

Mr. Neal visited the G&U's North Grafton yard where the line joins the Worcester-Framingham line shared by commuter rail and CSX Transportation, and also toured the company's new 22-acre transloading yard in West Upton, designed as an intermodal facility for truck and train carried freight, and the Hopedale yard, which features a 100,000 square-foot spur-served industrial building. The Hopedale yard is also adjacent to a million square feet of vacant space in the Draper Mill. Town officials hope the railroad can play some role in reactivating that facility.

The first phase of the railroad's upgrade, from North Grafton to West Upton, has been completed, and includes the 22-acre transloading facility built on a former landfill off of Maple Avenue in Upton. Phase 2, from West Upton to Hopedale, is under way. Phase 3, from Hopedale to Milford, will require a complete rebuilding of the line, and will commence when Phase 2 is completed. The project is expected to open up economic development opportunities all along the rail corridor, including truck-rail transloading operations.

South Coast Rail On-Track

SOUTH COASTTODAY.COM (Massachusetts)

Transportation Chief Sees Progress with Rail Extension

By Brian Boyd

March 30, 2010 12:00 AM

 

NEW BEDFORD — The state’s top transportation official said Monday the long-awaited goal of extending commuter rail to New Bedford and Fall River is gaining steam from recent victories.

Secretary of Transportation Jeffrey B. Mullan visited the city to discuss ongoing and future transportation projects with city officials and state representatives. Mullan said by taking initial steps toward the $1.4 billion extension, state officials are showing their commitment to the project, and a vote of confidence can help a project move forward.

“Projects need momentum,” Mullan said, answering a reporter’s question. “I’m a big fan of that. I understand that implicitly.”

In February, the state was awarded $20 million in federal grant money to reconstruct three freight rail bridges, which is considered a critical part of the infrastructure needed for the South Coast Rail Project.

State officials have also reached an agreement to buy rail lines from CSX Corp., including about 30 miles of track south of Taunton necessary for advancing the rail project.

Mullan described the deal with CSX as “another momentum builder.”

He said state officials would not arrange the deal with CSX the way they did or seek the federal dollars if they were not committed to building the commuter rail extension. He also said he hoped the planned construction efforts would help propel the project forward.

He referred to the early days of the Central Artery-Tunnel Project in Boston to make his point about the value of momentum. The state knocked down four bridges in South Boston long before it began work on the Ted Williams Tunnel, but the earlier work helped set the larger effort in motion, he said.

“Once you start seeing people out in the field building and getting ready for it, then people start to become believers, funders get behind you. It’s a demonstration to members of Congress that this is the commonwealth’s priority.”

He credited Gov. Deval Patrick’s support for the commuter rail project for the progress that has been made.

“We have moved this project forward more in three years than it had been moved forward in the prior 20,” Mullan said.

Rep. Stephen R. Canessa, D-New Bedford, who is a member of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation, arranged the meeting.

“Today’s meeting definitely served its purpose,” Canessa said afterward. “We had an excellent and frank conversation with the secretary of transportation.”

Other transportation-related topics came up during the secretary’s visit.

Mullan said the state should be able to advertise bids for the Route 18 reconstruction project in August.

Also, Mayor Scott W. Lang pressed Mullan on keeping a Registry of Motor Vehicles branch in the city’s downtown, arguing it has been an economic boon for the surrounding area.

“The registry [in] downtown New Bedford has created jobs all around that area and has led to a dramatic investment by the property owners contiguous and down the block from the registry,” Lang said. “It is an important part of beginning to build that upper Union Street area.”

Mullan took notes while Lang spoke and said he agreed with his view, but keeping the registry downtown must be financially feasible.

“We want to stay downtown,” Mullan said.