City Council encourages the development of an East-West Rail

This week, the Council voted to adopt a resolution offered by Councilor O'Malley, supporting a proposal for the creation of a high-speed East-West Rail between Boston and Springfield, which has been championed by State Senator Eric Lesser.

Councilor O’Malley said, “This could be something that is absolutely transformative for our Commonwealth. You talk about some of the issues we are dealing with as Bostonians — housing, affordability, congestion, traffic [...]. This is a way that we could absolutely address [those issues]."

He described improved regional transit as an ideal yet under-explored element of the solution to Boston’s housing cost and congestion challenges, because providing easier public transit from areas outside of Boston into the region’s economic center would take pressure off of the Boston housing market and commuters off of Boston’s roads. He also stated that an East-West Rail could also form a key part of Boston’s and the Commonwealth’s carbon reduction goals.

The Council has previously discussed other important regional transit improvements, such as the North-South Rail Link.