Globe article: East-West Rail

Chester is at the bottom of a hill, on a curve, and looks to have decent access to US-20. Apparently all the trains have to slow down there anyway. There is also a large <=1850 wooden station, the only Western Railroad station not replaced or moved.https://www.chesterrailwaystation.net/History.html

Ten seconds with Google -
2020 population of Chester MA: 1,228
2020 population of Westfield MA: 40,834

Yup, Chester is clearly the logical choice between the two here... NOT.

Supposedly, modern mass dot transportation planning is consumed with democracy by and for the people. Chester's folks though few in number were loud and constantly pushing for a station because of the chronic need in that little town for east west passenger rail service.

So think of it as democracy in motion, or the squeaky wheel gets the grease, as opposed to a product derived from rational transportation planning.

It does seem silly not to stop in Westfield. With a route as winding and slow as this one, another stop is not going to make the trip substantially longer and would make the travel time for anyone going to or from Westfield a lot quicker.

I just looked at Google Maps and noticed (a) space for a platform and parking could be had at and near the existing Westfield station building, which is also near a lot of houses and to bridges over the river including one for pedestrians and (b) AAA is in the old station building, a tragicomic irony.

Westfield is only 10 miles from Springfield. 10 fast, well connected by interstate highway miles. Worcester and Framingham are about 20 slow miles apart, and Framingham and Back Bay are about 20 horrendously congested miles apart.

Disney Guy wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:05 am Would an east-west rail line to Springfield and/or beyond work better or worse if it expressed past most of of the stations between Framingham and Back Bay (and also between the Mass. state line and Albany)?

The proposed 2 a day Amtrak service would stop at Springfield, Palmer, Worcester, Framingham, Lansdowne, Back Bay, and South Station (not counting the Connecticut stops on the MRS line.)

BandA wrote:Westfield is only 10 miles from Springfield. 10 fast, well connected by interstate highway miles.

Ten fast miles for someone in a car? To be parked in downtown Springfield?
Ten fast miles by bus?
On the scale of a 90-mile trip to Boston, or a shorter trip to Worcester, or wherever, ten miles is significant.

If Albany - Boston looks to be moving forward in a more real way I could see Westfield petition for a stop when they face the reality of 3 trains a day running through town without stopping. It kind of happened with the Valley Flyer - the state initially only planned for Greenfield and Northampton stops but then suddenly Holyoke entered the fray when the reality that the service was happening set in. Stops west of Springfield would only see the Albany bound trains of course which right now 3 a day is proposed (Which includes the existing Boston section of the Lake Shore.) Only Springfield and Palmer would see the inland trains. The combination of both inland and Albany frequencies would give Springfield and Palmer 5 round trips a day to and from Boston which is starting to be a decent corridor service.