The afternoon sun glistened through the stained glass skylights in the great hall of Worcester’s Union Station. Anne Miller from Citizens for A Palmer Rail Stop and I walked up to the platform to board Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited train that was bound to Chicago from Boston’s South Station.
Close up of the stained glass skylight at Worcester Union Station
The arched ceiling of the great hall at Worcester Union Station
Anne and I took a quick selfie prior to boarding our train. Our destination was from Worcester in Central Massachusetts to Pittsfield out in the Berkshires.
Selfie of Anne and I on the platform in Worcester
The Lake Shore Limited Train pulling up at Worcester Union Station
I have taken the East West Rail Trip on the Lake Shore Limited once before from Boston’s South Station to Springfield Union Station once before, but wanted to go all the way to Pittsfield to see the route and help advocate for East West Rail Service.
This trip was the first time for Anne traveling East West across the state via rail. Anne is a strong supporter of frequent commuter rail from Boston to Pittsfield via Palmer and Springfield who I met during my undergraduate studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
When I was an undergraduate student at UMass Amherst.
I met Anne through a UMass working group of community advocates, students, faculty and staff for rail and public transportation in Western Massachusetts. Through the working group I also met Ben Hood from Citizens for a Palmer Rail Stop and Ben Hecksher co-founder of Trains in the Valley.
In my undergraduate career, I spearheaded resolutions through the Student Government Association in support of East West passenger rail, funding for the PVTA, Zero Emission Electric Buses and for equitable fixed fares on the Knowledge Corridor.
To learn more about the Knowledge Corridor’s Valley Flyer passenger rail service check out my last blog post.
Back to our ride, as our train pulled out of Union Station in Worcester, we passed the construction site for the stadium of the Woo Sox minor league baseball team.
Construction of the Woo Sox minor league baseball stadium in Worcester.
We passed through some beautiful natural scenery between Worcester and Palmer.
Woodlands and Wetlands in Central Massachusetts
One of my favorite portions of the ride is the views of the Quaboag River on the transition between Central Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts as we crossed into Palmer.
Views of the beautiful Quaboag River from the train
We flew through Downtown Palmer, Massachusetts where we are advocating for a rail stop on the future East West Passenger Rail Service.
The Steaming Tender, the location of the historic Palmer Rail Station where people railfan today.
Palmer is located in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains. The town is made up of many villages and is nicknamed the “Town of Seven Railroads” as it is the crossroads of many rail lines that cross through New England.
The beautiful mountains in Palmer.
We got a shoutout from Senator Eric Lesser, who is an ardent supporter of future East West Passenger Rail Service.
Senator Eric Lesser’s tweets amplifying the message of our trip
Shortly after leaving Palmer we arrived in Springfield.
A view of the cloudy Springfield skyline from our train
I was excited to see the new high level platform almost completed at Union Station. High level platforms are a part of providing full accessibility to stations for people with disabilities. There Amtrak and CT Rail provide accommodations for people with disabilities to access trains from low level platforms including lifts, however, high level platforms are a better option. High level platforms also allow for level boarding from multiple doors allowing for less time stopping at stations leading to faster travel times as described by TransitMatters Regional Rail Report.
Views of the new high level platform in Springfield
We left Springfield as we crossed over the Connecticut River. The tracks then began to go along the Westfield River, a National Wild and Scenic River. The River was designated by Congress in 1993 as the first Wild and Scenic River in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Views of foliage along the Westfield River from our train
I learned about the Westfield River and it’s designation at last years Massachusetts Rivers Alliance Annual Meeting. Tim Palmer a photographer and author presented his photography and history of the Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States with a focus on Massachusetts.
We passed under the Massachusetts Turnpike (MassPike) along the Westfield River. The historic U.S. Route 20, the original East-West Route runs underneath the Turnpike here along the other bank of the Westfield River. We were at a crossroads collision of the old and the new forms of transportation.
In this part of the trip our train started to climb up into the Hilltowns. These Hilltowns have been left behind. The historic train stations have been long shuttered, and the MassPike bypassed the village centers of the towns without even an exit on the highway outside of town. There are similar feelings in the Quaboag Valley, although they at least have an exit to the MassPike in Palmer.
We pass through the town center of Huntington.
Huntington, Massachusetts
Then we pass through the town of Chester. Chester, like Palmer is advocating for a train stop between the larger cities of Springfield and Pittsfield. A train stop here would for sure help the local economy and bring more mobility to the region.
My girlfriend and I have visited Dave at the Chester Railway Station and Museum. The museum offers some great artifacts on the history of the Boston to Albany Railroad and the Chester Station. They also offer glamping in a historic caboose.
The residents of Chester and the surrounding Hilltowns are active in advocating for East West Rail with a stop in Chester. Dave and his friends actually took the Amtrak from Pittsfield to a MassDOT East West Rail Meeting in Springfield and took a community bus home.
Heading into the village center of Chester, Massachusetts
Views of Chester from our Train
Photos from my visit at the Chester Railway Station and Museum
Last winter I also hiked the Keystone Arch Bridges Trail along the Westfield River with my friend and fellow Sierra Club Massachusetts Executive Committee Member Daniel Vernick. The historic stone arches built in 1840 - an engineering marvel at the time was part of the oldest main line mountain railroad in the world. The Lake Shore Limited goes over some of the original historic arches.
View of one of the Keystone Arches on the Keystone Arch Bridges Trail in Chester, MA
Daniel and I Hiking in the Berkshires
View of the Westfield River Valley from our train atop a Keystone Arch Bridge
In Chester, there is double track, which allows for more frequent train service on the line. This is something to note, as much of the right of way on the Boston-Albany line had double track. Much of it does not exist today, but the right of way area still exists.
Double Track in Chester
As we climbed up the Mountains through the Westfield River Valley we entered the Berkshires starting in Washington, Massachusetts. We passed along the infamously deep Muddy Pond which I snapped a picture of as our train coasted up the mountains.
Muddy Pond in Washington, MA
We waited for the eastbound 448 Amtrak Lake Shore Limited to Boston to pass us 10 miles outside of Pittsfield.
Eastbound 448 Amtrak Lake Shore Limited coming from Chicago heading to Boston
Once the train passed, we got a great view of wetlands surrounding our train .
The Wetlands of Cady Brook in Hinsdale, MA
In only a few minutes we were at our destination in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The station was in the center of town in a cut in the ground at a lower elevation than the street. There was double track at the station and we were on the track further from the station called the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center. Anne snapped a picture of me on the ramp of the low level platform next to the train. I was surprised that what seemed like a new facility did not have high level platforms.
Me at our destination in Pittsfield
The Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center had a large garage with a bus terminal and building on top. There was an information booth that was closed but also seats, bathrooms and vending machines. It was nice that there was a place to wait for our ride and also wait for buses to transfer.
Information booth was closed on the early Sunday evening that we arrived.
The station also had a machine for bus tickets for the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA). The machine allowed for people to reload their MBTA Charlie Cards to use on the BRTA buses. This is a great feature that I know is also applicable at some other Regional Transit Authorities, including Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, but not all in Massachusetts. With the MBTA’s Automatic Fare Collection System 2.0 (AFC 2.0) technology will more easily allow integration between the different public transit systems in Massachusetts.
Charlie Card Machine at the BRTA Station in Pittsfield
Tables, vending machines in the building with the bus terminal outside.
Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center from the outside at night
Our trip from Worcester to Pittsfield was a success. I thanked Anne for riding the rails with me and Ben for driving us back. Western Massachusetts has been left behind from the transportation and economic booms of Greater Boston. Western Massachusetts deserves world class passenger rail system with connections from Boston, Worcester, Palmer, Springfield, Chester and Pittsfield. Regional Rail for Greater Boston and the North South Rail Link must also include action to build and operate passenger rail for our neighbors in Western Mass.
Western Mass also has the pilot Valley Flyer passenger rail service that also needs equally important attention. The Valley Flyer runs from Greenfield, Northampton, Holyoke, Springfield to the Hartford Line to New Haven with connections to Metro North and the Northeast Corridor to New York City and Beyond. The Valley Flyer should be a permanent service and have more equitable fixed fares like the Hartford Line and Amtrak Downeaster.
If you are interested in helping advocate for public transportation in the Commonwealth you can take action by talking to your elected officials about these projects and our legislative priorities. You can also join our transportation committee here at the chapter.