Letter to Mass. Lt. Governor

Below is a letter I wrote to my Lt. Governor, Tim Murray of Massachusetts. It is regarding the Worcester-Ayer commuter rail connector, which would provide a connection between the Framingham/Worcester and Fitchburg lines. I though you might like to read it, and perhaps, if you’re a MA resident, to write your own letter…

Mr. Murray is a serious commuter rail advocate. He spearheaded the Greenbush line of the MBTA, the purchase of the Framingham/Worcester line from CSX, Wi-Fi on that line, and several other mass transit related projects.

"Dear Lt. Governor Murray,

Living near Worcester, MA, and looking at the public transportation system in the area, I feel we are missing an important link in our mass transportation system. While the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail line service has increased in frequency (and I applaud your efforts in this area) so that getting to Boston is very easy and convenient, other destinations are much harder to get to using solely public transportation. Living in the Worcester area without a car, getting to destinations like Acton, Fitchburg, Ayer, and other destinations north of the Framingham/Worcester line is very difficult. The Fitchburg Commuter Rail line serves these areas very well, but getting to it from the Worcester area requires going all the way into Boston, then backtracking all the way out on the Fitchburg Line.

I believe the prospect of a North-South Rail Connection (not the one linking North and South Stations in Boston) has been discussed. It would run on the existing Pan Am Railways line between Worcester and Ayer, MA. This would be a convenient connector for commuters between Fitchburg/Leominster and Worcester, as well for those going between stops on the Framingham/Worcester and Fitchburg lines.

The markets served by this line would be the connecting service previously mentioned, plus commuters to Worcester for

It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into this, Tyler; it sounds like a very desirable routing. However, don’t expect stimulus money, at least not from this round, because I don’t think anyone or anything could make it “shovel-ready” in time. However, as I’ve said before, some longer-term projects need to be looked at as well, to keep the momentum going. Good luck, and thank you for doing that.

How about a connecting commuter bus to get things started? Bus service only takes a few months to get off the ground. If enough ridership shows up, then you’d find it easier to justify some capital for the rail line. You could do a whole lot worse than an MCI D4500!