West-East Rail (Compass Rail)

Alignment

West-East Rail (often called East-West Rail) would restore regular passenger service across Massachusetts on the former Boston & Albany Railroad. The line is MBTA-owned from South Station to Worcester and owned by freight railroad CSX west of Worcester. It runs through Springfield to Pittsfield and, eventually, Albany. Since October 2023 MassDOT has grouped it under Compass Rail, its umbrella program for intercity rail centered on Springfield Union Station. Compass Rail also covers the existing MassDOT-funded Knowledge Corridor service north to Greenfield, the Springfield track reconfiguration and the seasonal Berkshire Flyer. Today the only passenger train between Worcester and Springfield or Springfield and Pittsfield is Amtrak’s daily Lake Shore Limited.

Phase 1, the Inland Route, will run two daily Amtrak round trips from Boston to New Haven via Framingham, Worcester and Springfield, starting in 2030. About 10 freight trains and the Lake Shore Limited share a single track on 44 of the 54 miles between Worcester and Springfield. A $135 million package of track, signal and siding work, mostly on that stretch, will add capacity. It is funded by a $108 million federal CRISI grant plus MassDOT and Amtrak matching money. A new Palmer station is planned for about 2033 on a site about half a mile east of the historic Palmer Union Station, chosen in February 2025. Springfield’s track layout is being rebuilt so the station can handle up to eight more daily round trips.

Later phases would extend service west through the Berkshires to Pittsfield and Albany. MassDOT’s current plan targets five Boston–Springfield and two Springfield–Albany round trips by 2045. The 2021 East-West Passenger Rail Study priced its Boston–Pittsfield alternatives at $2.4 billion to $4.6 billion, and those costs have since risen about 30%. A federally funded service development plan for the Boston & Albany corridor is under way. Amtrak’s new Airo trainsets are expected to run on the route.

Updates

2026-11 — Pittsfield track work breaks ground after CSX agreement

MassDOT broke ground on a $31 million Pittsfield Track Capacity Project. It includes a passing track in Richmond and upgrades at CSX’s Pittsfield Yard, and it follows a new MassDOT–CSX agreement. The work supports a permanent seasonal Berkshire Flyer and future West-East service. MassDOT is also studying a second platform at Pittsfield station. Amtrak said its new federally funded Airo trainsets are expected to serve the Berkshire Flyer and the Inland Route.

2026-10 — $160 million in new federal grants

MassDOT won a $130 million CRISI grant for the Springfield Hub Modernization Project, part of the Springfield track reconfiguration. The project rebuilds one railroad diamond, reconfigures another, upgrades the wye into Union Station’s platform tracks, and improves the viaducts and signals around it. On October 30 the state also won $30 million from the Railroad Crossing Elimination program for an overpass replacing two grade crossings near CSX’s West Springfield intermodal terminal. Federal awards for Compass Rail now exceed $320 million.

2026-04 — MassDOT sets phased targets

At a roundtable with Rep. Richard Neal, MassDOT reported eight Compass Rail projects under way and $157 million in federal rail grants secured. It set targets of two Boston–Springfield–New Haven round trips by 2030, a Palmer station and 16 Springfield–New Haven round trips by 2033, and full West-East service by 2045. Operating costs were projected to rise by $3.5 million a year, to $15 million. Neal also announced a $1.2 million earmark to design Positive Train Control on the Knowledge Corridor.

2025-05 — Boston–Albany corridor planning funded

The federal government awarded $3.6 million for a two-year service development plan for the Boston–Albany corridor. The $108 million Inland Route grant had been formally obligated in January 2025, but design was not yet under contract, and the Springfield reconfiguration had no dedicated construction money. Streetsblog reported that new routes would not debut until the 2030s.

2024-10 — $36.8M grant for Springfield track reconfiguration

The FRA awarded a $36.8 million CRISI grant, with a $9.2 million MassDOT match, for the Springfield Track Reconfiguration Project. It will add crossovers and layover tracks, upgrade platforms at Springfield Union Station, and modernize track and signals for both freight and passenger service.

2023-09 — $108M CRISI grant for Worcester–Springfield

MassDOT, working with Amtrak and with support from host railroad CSX, won a $108 million federal CRISI grant. It funds the track improvements between Worcester and Springfield needed for the first two daily round trips.