The rail purchases are contingent on other moves happening first. In one move, the state would lower the tracks between Worcester and the New York border and CSX would be responsible for raising bridges along that route, all to accommodate double-stack freight trains, which officials say will spur major economic growth by vastly increasing the shipping capacity for goods. Those moves could take several years to come to fruition.
BOSTON. Later this month, five new commuter rail trains will help serve the Worcester line, and the T will extend four critical weekday trips to Worcester that now only travel between Boston and Framingham, transportation officials announced Thursday.
One trip will leave Worcester at 4:45 a.m. and get into Boston around 6:30 a.m. and will allow riders to make their 7 a.m. shifts, a move workers at the Hub’s hospitals have been suggesting to the T for months, according to MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas.
Two other inbound trips would get Worcester riders to Boston by 7:46 a.m. and around 6 p.m. For outbound travel, the 2:40 p.m. train out of South Station would extend to Worcester and arrive at 4:13 p.m.
The new trains and updated schedules will be in place starting Oct. 27.
“This is huge [for the Worcester line],” Grabauskas said.
Meanwhile, the state plans to spend $100 million to buy up four sections of track owned by CSX Transportation.
One section is the Worcester line. Another is the line that runs to New Bedford and Fall River, which is expected to handle the SouthCoast commuter rail line, tentatively slated for completion in 2016.
The deal, which has taken four years to finalize, has included exhausting negotiations between politicians, CSX, the MBTA and the MBCR.