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Date: 6/15/2023
WESTFIELD — The state’s plans for an East-West Rail line use tracks through Westfield, but don’t envision a stop in the city. Westfield Mayor Michael McCabe has other plans.
“We have a great spot with an existing depot,” McCabe said, referring the old depot building at 16 N. Elm St.
For over four decades, state officials have been discussing the prospect of operating a passenger rail line to connect Boston with Western Massachusetts. The state Department of Transportation made a proposal in 2021 with designated stops in Worcester, Palmer, Springfield, Chester and Pittsfield — leaving out Westfield.
Since then, McCabe said he has been advocating for MassDOT to include Westfield. He acknowledges there are several challenges the city would need to address.
First, the existing depot is in private hands and the city or state would have to acquire it using either private or public funds, with the possibility of creating a multi-use facility that would include retail businesses. Parking would be another challenge.
“We’d need to flesh that out,” McCabe said about parking.
Parking directly in front of the old depot, which was built in 1879, would be limited to perhaps 50 vehicles, and the municipal lot at Depot Square has about 50 spaces. There is a parcel of undeveloped property that abuts the western edge of the depot at the end of Old Pochassic Road.
McCabe said he has the support of the state legislators that represent Westfield, state Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield), and state Reps. Kelly Pease (R-Westfield) and Michael Finn (D-West Springfield).
Pease said on June 9 that he supports what McCabe is trying to accomplish.
“It makes sense,” Pease said, but with a caveat: He said legislators in the Statehouse have not shown the focus on the issue he said is necessary.
“We’ve got to get more focused on it,” he said, adding that several amendments related to the passenger rail were introduced during the last session, but they weren’t adopted.
McCabe and Pease said Westfield, after being left out of the initial proposal, faces another challenge — each additional stop on the rail line will make the train run slower, increasing trip times for riders traveling to or from stations west of the “new” stop. McCabe said there are other communities along the route, like Westfield, interested in hosting a train station.
McCabe said his advocacy of the stop includes making an appeals to the MassDOT Board of Directors and the Secretary of Transportation Gina Fiandaca.
“We’re trying to get this done,” McCabe said.
Velis was not available for comment.