It took almost 5,700 years from the time humans began laying train tracks, in the year 3838 BCE, until Welsh businessman Benjamin French decided he could make money by carrying paying passengers on trains.

Before 1807, if you wanted to travel the six miles from Swansea, Wales to Oystermouth, Wales (in the district of Mumbles), it was a long walk. But on March 25, 1807, regular passenger service began when the train left the Swansea and Mumbles Railway Station. The fare was two shillings to board the horse-drawn train.

It only took another 20 years for the idea to reach Baltimore. In 1828, construction began on tracks for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad — B&O to Monopoly fans — which would carry freight as well as the first passenger rail service in the United States. The July 4th kick-off ceremony was made all the more symbolic by the participation of Charles Carroll, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. (He was also the only Catholic, the most educated, and the wealthiest person to sign it, but that really has very little to do with train travel in the Berkshires.)

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The rebuilding of the Housatonic (Berkshire) Line to provide passenger service between New York City and Pittsfield, Mass., has been studied for over ten years. Such a service is technically feasible and practical. It would provide substantial benefits to both Northwest Connecticut and Western Massachusetts, even before considering post-pandemic population changes, shifts in travel patterns, and greater urgency about climate resilience.

Progress, however, on implementing such a passenger rail service seems to move at a glacial pace. What are principal barriers to the development of passenger rail in this region, and how can those barriers be overcome?

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Having a long-standing commitment to a volunteer activity that takes place every Saturday for most of the day, I could not attend the July 17 meeting of The Train Campaign, convened by its founder Karen Christensen at the historic restored Canaan, Connecticut, railroad station. So my only insight into what took place and what was said has been provided by Berkshire Edge Managing Editor Terry Cowgill in his July 21 coverage of the event, Railroad enthusiasts meet in CT urge restoration of passenger service from NYC to Berkshires.
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In a rare moment of bi-state cooperation, local officials from The Berkshires and Connecticut gathered Saturday at the historic Canaan Union Depot to talk about the importance of rail transit and the renewed possibility of bringing passenger service up the Housatonic Valley from Danbury and New York City.
Karen Christensen, who heads The Train Campaign, a Great Barrington-based nonprofit whose goal is to reconnect the Berkshires with New York City and Connecticut, sponsored the event. Passenger rail service in that corridor ended in 1971 but freight service continues.
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THE ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED BY THE BERKSHIRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION. FUNDING FOR THIS STUDY WAS PROVIDED THROUGH A TRANSPORTA-
TION, COMMUNITY AND SYSTEMS PRESERVATION GRANT FROM THE UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND ADMINISTERED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT
CLETE KUS AT CKUS@BERKSHIREPLANNING.ORG OR (413) 442-1521 X20.

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The agreement includes $12.13 million to acquire the line and an estimated $35 million for initial track improvements, funded by the 2014 Transportation Bond Bill approved by the legislature. The Berkshire Line extends approximately 37 miles from the Connecticut border in Sheffield through Great Barrington, Stockbridge, Lee, and Lenox to Pittsfield, where it joins the CSXT Railroad main line.

“Studies have shown that a Berkshire County rail connection to New York City would be a winner, with more than one million rides annually,” said Secretary Davey. “This purchase and the initial upgrades in the line represent historic steps toward improved access to the Berkshires for tourists and residents alike.”

The initial track improvements will permit the operation of passenger trains but serve freight trains until the Connecticut portion of the project is completed. A final round of track improvements will be required along with improvements on the Connecticut portion of the line prior to the start of passenger rail service. The Transportation Bond Bill included $113 million for the purchase and Massachusetts portion of the track improvements.
A date for the beginning of passenger service is dependent upon completion of the upgrades in both states.

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MA governor Deval Patrick has released a new state transportation agenda that includes track upgrades that are essential to the Berkshires rail plan. The agenda lists “$113.8 million to upgrade railroad tracks from Pittsfield to the Connecticut line to support future passenger rail service to New York City.” This is a major break-through, and there’s much more ahead. Please continue to share the petition, as every new signature triggers an email to our representatives in MA, CT, and NY.

Here’s the report itself: http://transportation.blog.state.ma.us/blog/2013/01/massdot-releases-21st-century-transportation-plan.html

And Berkshire Eagle article: http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_22374573

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Did you know that passenger rail service existed between New York City, northwestern Connecticut, and western Massachusetts until 1972? It’s true – and the line, along with all of the infrastructure, is still there. With upgrades to modernize the track and stations, we can bring this important train line back into service, providing a much needed economic boost to our communities, reduce the traffic on our roads, and attract new visitors and businesses to our area.

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For immediate release Info: Colin Pease 978 371 8046
February 8, 2011

Following the completion of its privately financed market analysis that determined it is feasible to run a privately operated rail passenger service between The Berkshires, western Connecticut and New York City, Housatonic is launching a research study to estimate the benefits of the proposed service to communities along the line. Completion of a benefits analysis is an essential component when seeking federal loans or grants for rail passenger services.

To perform the study the railroad is working with Professor Stephen Sheppard of Williams College. Professor Sheppard has published numerous papers and performed numerous studies to determine the impact of many factors on development in communities. His many works include a study evaluating “The Benefits of Transport Improvements in a City with Efficient Development Control.” He has extensive knowledge about the region to be served by the proposed train including specific work to evaluate the value of investments in the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield and the economic value of The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA) on the region.

Professor Sheppard’s study will focus on five primary impacts of the proposed service:
1. Increased income generation and employment opportunities due to both capital investments in rail infrastructure and passenger operations.
2. Increased tourism and patronage of travel destinations in the region
3. Increased demand for second homes in the region
4. Potential for decreased travel and congestion on local roadways, with consequent public savings.
5. Environmental benefits resulting from increased use of rail transport instead of the automobile.

The study will provide communities in the region with sound information from which they can determine how the proposed service will impact their communities. It will also enable the Housatonic Railroad and public agencies to calculate how the service will benefit the public and equally important benefit the railroad. The benefit calculations will provide some guidance regarding how capital costs for the creation of the service could be shared between the railroad and various public entities and they will support efforts by the railroad to secure long term financing for the project.

Once completed Professor Sheppard’s study will be available to the public and will be shared with governmental agencies in Massachusetts and Connecticut, regional planning agencies, numerous interest groups along the route and it will be made available on the railroad’s web site www.hrrc.com.
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The study is being financed privately.

About the Housatonic Railroad

The original Housatonic Railroad was chartered in 1836 and was acquired by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1892. At that time, the railroad was 175 miles long, with 60 passenger depots. The last passenger train ran on April 30, 1971. The railroad was then land-banked until 1983 when the line from Canaan to New Milford, Connecticut was reopened and the Housatonic Railroad name was used again. The railroad expanded to Pittsfield, MA in 1991 and expanded again in 1992 to include the line from Derby, Connecticut to Beacon, New York. The railroad now consists of 161 miles of rail lines devoted to freight transportation and is working to reinstitute passenger service between Danbury, CT and Pittsfield, MA.

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John Hanlon, President of the Housatonic Railroad, announced today the results of a comprehensive study to determine ridership demand for a rail passenger service between Pittsfield, MA and New York City. In June, 2010 Housatonic Railroad contracted with Market Street Research of Northampton, Massachusetts to determine if it was feasible to start a privately operated rail passenger service over the Housatonic Railroad route between Pittsfield, MA and Danbury, CT. In Danbury, Housatonic’s rail line connects with Metro North into New York and Housatonic Railroad also has the capacity to connect with Metro North in Brewster, New York.

In a letter to government officials, regional planners and other interested parties Hanlon stated, “If we use the median ridership information (accounting for seasonal trends) we have a ridership of two million one way riders per year. This is extremely encouraging.” Hanlon further noted “Outwardly, it would appear that a combination of public/private investment could create a service that requires little or no operating subsidy.”

The proposed Berkshire Line Project will serve cities and towns in western Connecticut generally between Danbury and North Canaan and would operate in Massachusetts to Pittsfield through Berkshire County. The service region draws a large number of visitors from New York and generates substantial traffic to New York City. In discussing the regional benefits for a new service, Hanlon continued, “Today Litchfield and Berkshire County residents and visitors are limited to the use of the automobile. Rail transport for both freight and passengers is an energy efficient, environmentally friendly solution for our region’s transportation needs. Reducing our dependence on the automobile to move over two million passengers to and from the region reduces our carbon footprint, saves energy and promotes responsible land use.

It is expected that the service will serve commuters, many visitors to the region, students in the many schools near the rail line and second homeowners and generate a substantial volume of weekend and off peak travel. Transit time from Pittsfield to New York will be approximately 3 hours and 55 minutes and fares will be competitive with intercity bus travel and the automobile. The region’s close proximity to the very large New York market is what makes the proposed system work.

With the completion of ridership estimates Housatonic Railroad is creating a cost model to develop an accurate financial pro forma for the service.

Representatives of the railroad have already begun meetings with local officials within the region to determine optimum locations for station facilities and to coordinate local services. As planning efforts continue, the railroad will work closely with both public and private entities to develop services to support passenger needs within the region:

About the Housatonic Railroad

The original Housatonic Railroad was chartered in 1836 and was acquired by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1892. At that time, the railroad was 175 miles long, with 60 passenger depots. The last passenger train ran on April 30, 1971. The railroad was then land-banked until 1983 when the line from Canaan to New Milford, Connecticut was reopened and the Housatonic Railroad name was used again. The railroad expanded to Pittsfield, MA in 1991 and expanded again in 1992 to include the line from Derby, Connecticut to Beacon, New York. The railroad now consists of 161 miles of rail lines devoted to freight transportation.

For more information contact:
Colin Pease, Vice President for Special Projects
P.O. Box 687
Old Lyme, CT 06371
Phone: 978 371 8046

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In a letter to regional officials Housatonic Railroad President John Hanlon announced the initiation of a comprehensive study to determine ridership demand for a rail passenger service between Pittsfield, MA and New York City. The study will evaluate service potential for a passenger service that would connect cities and towns in Northwest Connecticut and Berkshire County with areas such as Norwalk and Stamford, Connecticut and New York City.

Mr. Hanlon noted that the potential passenger market served by the Housatonic’s freight lines differs from traditional commuter services in that the area attracts large volumes of visitors, second homeowners, and students in addition to a large base of commuters traveling to and from points in Southwest Connecticut and New York City.

The ridership/market analysis will be privately funded and conducted by the firm, Market Street Research (MSR) located in Northampton, Massachusetts. MSR has over 30 years of experience performing feasibility studies, competitive intelligence research, needs assessments and numerous market analyses for a wide variety of clients. MSR will employ sophisticated survey techniques in order to provide the railroad and all interested parties with statistically valid information regarding the feasibility and market potential of a new rail passenger services in the region.

In his letter Mr. Hanlon noted: “We believe that the potential does exist to create a successful service. A belief, however, is hardly a sufficient foundation for actually developing a service or a business. Therefore, I have decided to take a substantive step towards developing sound ridership and market data from which we can draw some meaningful conclusions.” Mr. Hanlon also noted that most passenger services operate independent of private freight operators. He further noted that utilizing the efficiencies of a private freight operator and achieving synergies through the sharing of certain facilities by freight and passenger services could result in substantially lower costs of rail passenger operations.

The study is expected to be conducted over a 12 week period and following its completion the results will be shared with the public as well as regional, local and state officials in both states.


About the Housatonic Railroad
The original Housatonic Railroad was chartered in 1836 and was acquired by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1892. At that time, the railroad was 175 miles long, with 60 passenger depots. The last passenger train ran on April 30, 1971. The railroad was then land-banked until 1983 when the line from Canaan to New Milford, Connecticut was reopened and the Housatonic Railroad name was used again. The railroad expanded to Pittsfield, MA in 1991 and expanded again in 1992 to include the line from Derby, Connecticut to Beacon, New York. The railroad now consists of 161 miles of rail lines devoted to freight transportation.

For more information contact:
Colin Pease, Vice President of Special Operations
P.O. Box 687
Old Lyme, CT 06371
Phone: 978-371-8046

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