Adams Industrial Track sale to State of MA

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Judging by the the plan put forth by Governor Patrick they are talking about more than just scenic excursions.

That is aimed at rail: South Coast Rail ($1.8 billion), a Green Line extension to Somerville and Medford ($674 million, to match anticipated federal funds), expansion and reconstruction of South Station to accommodate nearly twice as many trains ($850 million), extension of east-west commuter rail from Boston to Springfield ($362 million), enhancement of north-south freight lines in the Berkshires to connect with Metro-North and Amtrak passenger lines through Connecticut to New York City ($114 million), and rail and infrastructure improvements to restart summer passenger trains between Boston and Cape Cod ($21 million).

That plan's for the Housatonic mainline...the jerks who kicked Berkshire Scenic off their tracks last year. Veeerrrry hard to take Patrick's proposal and its associated price tag seriously with how bad a shape that line is and how toxic an outfit Housy is to do business with. It would cost twice as much to get passenger-quality track and signaling in MA, then more than that in CT. And that doesn't include the price tag of buying the line from Housy to the CT state line and in CT from Danbury to New Milford...because as long as that company has controlling interest in the track, nobody should trust them.

[newpylong]

For sure. Out of all of them, passenger service on the Housy is the best pie in the sky. Talk about most expensive with least demand.

[irishdawg52]

I think a former big-wig from B&M/ST/Guilford is now in charge at Housatonic and it was he who put the kibash on Berkshire Scenic in Stockbridge/Lee.

[frrc]

I think a former big-wig from B&M/ST/Guilford is now in charge at Housatonic and it was he who put the kibash on Berkshire Scenic in Stockbridge/Lee.

Colin Pease,formerly of Springfield Terminal / Guilford, now working at the Housatonic...

[Engineer Spike]

From the last post, it appears that the Commonwealth is trying to control the Pittsfield to N. Adams corridor, in case passenger service starts on the former NH Berkshire Division.
It may be a long shot, but they have the college in NA. This would require relaying the track between P'field and Adams. If Ethan Allen does end up running via Hoosic Jct., this service could connect the whole US 7 corridor.

It is good to see public transportation means extended past Worcester. The Conn River project is a first sign of this. It is good to see W. MA getting some attention. I used to live there, and it is forgotten about on Beacon Hill. A cousin who grew up there says he is from the State of Western Massachusetts. This shows how diverse it is from the Boston metri area.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

From the last post, it appears that the Commonwealth is trying to control the Pittsfield to N. Adams corridor, in case passenger service starts on the former NH Berkshire Division.
It may be a long shot, but they have the college in NA. This would require relaying the track between P'field and Adams. If Ethan Allen does end up running via Hoosic Jct., this service could connect the whole US 7 corridor.

It is good to see public transportation means extended past Worcester. The Conn River project is a first sign of this. It is good to see W. MA getting some attention. I used to live there, and it is forgotten about on Beacon Hill. A cousin who grew up there says he is from the State of Western Massachusetts. This shows how diverse it is from the Boston metri area.

That's a very very remote possibility given that they just finished laying the paved trail between Berkshire Mall Rd. in Pittsfield and Hoosac St. in Adams. The line is landbanked and owned by MassDOT, so they do already control the midsection. CSX still owns the Coltsville Industrial Track at the southern tip, even though HRCC operated it and it's been embargoed for years. If they're scooping up the Adams end from PAS it won't exactly be hard to gain the Coltsville end. There's no business that'll ever be likely to return to it past the yard and the immediate B&A abutters south of Merrill Rd.

Stupid abandonment. Guilford definitely jumped the gun and probably should've dangled it to Housy so it lingered on. The Berkshire Line passenger proposal is bonkers as long as HRCC is the landlord and the track conditions are too dangerous even for freight. But it loses critical connectivity not being able to tie at all to North Adams. Or tie in to the PAS main and be able to thru-route ski trains or Appalacian Trail/camping excursions via North Bennington and the to-be-upgraded Western Corridor/future Ethan Allen route. Any additional population centers on that corridor other than Pittsfield makes a big difference given how sparse it is overall. But even if the will is there to eventually reactivate the P&NA, it's tougher than most potential reactivations when it's a full-paved trail they'd have to tear up or rebuild as rail-with-trail. That's really hard to justify on value-for-money.

[newpylong]

Re-lay rail on the PNA? Never gonna happen! Definitely a foolish abandonment, but Guilford didn't want anyone else to have access to what customers were left in Adams.