Springfield Union Station gets major upgrades for better rail

MassDOT has proposed a new train service and schedule for railway improvements. And 22 News reporter Claire Overton joins us live in studio with a recap of what was said in the latest Board of Directors meeting. Nick and Ciara, last week the MassDOT Rail and Transit Administrator spoke before the Board of Directors detailing an update on the Compass Rail. Springfield is the heart of the Compass. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has a significant list of projects on the docket. For updating railway systems and improvements at current stations to account for more service. Including Springfield's Union Station. We're undertaking a major effort in Springfield to reconfigure track alignments, switches, train signals, station platforms, and train layover and servicing facilities to expand capacity and reduce trip times. All of this to not only help with the progress of East-West Rail, but adding train services from Springfield to New York City. Working with Amtrak in Connecticut to develop a service plan that would expand Springfield to New York service to operate hourly. And that would increase annual ridership on the corridor by a projected one million passengers. But the project is more than just reconfiguring the tracks here at Union Station. It also involves Amtrak buying a fleet of new trains. As the trains they currently have are nearing the end of their lifespan. Last month, in partnership with multiple states, we supported Amtrak's $2.7 billion application to FRA's National Railroad Partnership Program to exercise its option orders with Siemens to order additional new Aero train sets. In total, MassDOT has secured roughly $157 million for projects from Boston to Springfield to Pittsfield. Improving railway services for travelers across the Bay State and beyond. Now it will obviously be a number of years before any of these projects are finished, but progress is definitely being made. Working for you, Claire Overton, 22 News.