The Rail Plan Public Hearing will be held, Thursday, September 16th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at Union Station Intermodal Transportation Center, Union Hall (Second Floor), 2 Washington Square, Worcester, MA
Monday, September 20th, 12:00 NOON
Freight Rail Discussion - New England Rail Coalition-Freight Committee and Eastern Massachusetts Freight Rail Coalition - "Joint Caucus on Feedback to MassDOT on the Massachusetts Freight Rail Plan.
Stakeholder's conference call. Interested parties please feel free to call in at:
Drive Regional Economic Development -- Transportation Infrastructure as an Enabler...
Address Growing Traffic Congestion in Metro-West and I-495 Corridor
Provide MassDOT with Broad-Based Views within the Community of Transportation Users, Providers, and Host Communities
Freight Distribution Capacity Within the 128 Belt
Support Carrier Partnerships: Line Haul/Short Line Railroads, Truck/Rail, Ocean/Truck/Rail
Joint Freight/Passenger use of Underutilized Rail Lines
Reduce Sprawl Through Multi-Use Corridor Development
Promote Green Transpoortation Initiatives
Support Competition and Freight Transportation Options
Promote Intermodal Transportation
Freight Rail Impact
One million+ additional truck trips would be needed to handle freight moved in Massachusetts by rail each year
If moved by highway, added pavement damage would = $32 million each year
Congestion cost to commuters = $15 million each year
Costs related to emissions, noise, traffic accidents = $10 million each year
Costs above = $57 million - reflect social benefits realized in MA
Rail Reduces Congestion
Every railcar trip removes approximately three truck trips from congested highways
About EMFRC
EMFRC is an independent body formed to: "Provided the region with an open forum to build consensus among private sector freight interests -- including shippers, carriers and related services -- in order to advise the public sector regarding policy, regulatory issues and the infrastructure investments needed for an efficient, balanced freight transportation system in Eastern Massachusetts.
We are focused on education and outreach to demonstrate how freight rail transportation can reduce traffic congestion -- particularly within the I-495 belt -- reduce greenhouse gasses and emissions and support growth and economic development in the Eastern Massachusetts area.
With increased focus on passenger and commuter rail, now is the time to ensure we best utilize the rail assets for safe and efficient movement of both people and goods throughout the region.