A Commuter Railroad Expands Coverage to Fitchburg

I watched the president on TV last night, up very close on the HDTVand I felt a little less detached from him than I usually do. I emphathized with his huge tasks and the difficulties he’s faced with last week’s elections.  Today in the Recorder was something he gets complete credit for.

They are opening another railroad station in Fitchburg, right off Route 2, so that travelers can park right there and take the rest of the trip into Boston by railroad.  A federal stimulus grant for $55.5 million will cover the costs to improve the tracks to supporrt freight and passenger rail and build a new layover facility in the town of Westminster.

They expect that this option will divert traffic off of Route 2. But mostly it creates a commutable path, for someone who lives reasonably close, to work in Boston and live here. 

I think adding this 4.2 mile of track will continue to spur new and additional track. And like bike paths, which continually are adding to each other, creating longer lengths of pathways, the railroad track will do the same.  That’s progress.