Gov. Baker widens scope of Springfield rail study; narrows time frame

SPRINGFIELD — With his figurative veto pen, Gov. Charlie Baker has broadened state Sen. Eric Lesser's long-talked-about study of speedier passenger rail from Springfield to Boston to include more modes of transportation.

Baker, in a veto message to the Legislature issued last week, struck out lawmakers' language from the budget and instead called for a broader study that would include highway travel by automobile and buses, as well as freight rail. Baker said he wants the Pioneer Valley to study ways to coordinate and integrate all those travel options as well as looking at the 90-minute train trip from Springfield to Boston.

Baker also set a firmer timetable for the study, saying a Pioneer Valley transportation working group is to commence no later than Oct. 1 and have a study prepared and presented six months later, no later than March 3, 2017.

Baker also said that rail connectivity between Springfield and Boston is also the subject of other studies. That's likely a reference to, among others, Amtrak's NEC Vision, an effort to develop a long-term plan for the whole of the Northeast Corridor.

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