Easton and Stoughton Go Different Directions with South Coast Rail

Though town officials in Easton and Raynham are working together , their counterparts, in Stoughton, are going it alone, at least for now.

A top Stoughton official also says that his town may spend up to $70,000 on reviewing the project and potentially moving forward with litigation.

The towns resumed focus on the project in late March, after the state reaffirmed its preference for the “Stoughton Alternative,” as one of three alternatives that would provide public transportation from Boston to New Bedford and Fall River.  The route would extend rail from Stoughton’s downtown southward, through Easton, Raynham and Taunton, before it branched off to those south coast cities.  The state’s preference was included in a Draft Engineering Impact Report, by the Army Corps of Engineers, which examined the projects’ environmental impact.   

Shortly after the report’s release, the towns of Raynham and Easton agreed to work together on a list of mitigation, at the urging of Raynham Selectman Joe Pacheco.  

Easton Board of Selectmen Chair then agreed to approach Stoughton selectmen to see if they would also like to join forces.  She said the corroboration made sense because the towns would have a better chance of getting mutual compensation, including improvements on Route 138 and a safety education program for school children. 

“We wanted to present a united front,” she said.

But when Corona appeared in front of the Stoughton board on April 12, she was told that the town could not work with them because they are considering litigation. 

And though Stoughton selectmen said they may try to work with Easton and Raynham later, they said that discussing any mitigation in public could jeopardize a potential lawsuit.

“It’s still too early to determine what our possibilities are going to be,” said Stoughton Board of Selectmen Chair John Stagnone.

The towns are required to submit a list of comments on the project, including mitigation requests, to both the state and Army Corps of Engineers by May 27, but both Easton and Stoughton are requiring an extension.

Stagnone said he can’t predict when his town will make a decision because consultants must first review and evaluate the 2,500-page draft report.   He also said Stoughton selectmen are in a different situation than Easton and Raynham officials because their residents have voted to fight the project.

The town of Stoughton has been officially opposed to the rail extension since 2000, when Selectmen signed a proclamation against the Stoughton Alternative route.  In the last few years, that movement has intensified, when officials discovered that the state was favoring an electric train, which would have an overhead line system, going through the center of their downtown. They complained to state officials, and requested that tracks be depressed, similar to rail in downtown Hingham, which has a tunnel.  

The town consequently formed an 18-member South Coast Rail Advisory Committee in June of 2009, and members concluded that state officials from the Department of Transportation (then the Executive Office of Transportation) were not going to give Stoughton the same type mitigation as they did to Hingham, on “safety, traffic, and other concerns expressed by the town.”

Stoughton Town Meeting then approved $20,000 in September 2009 to hire consultants to review the upcoming Army Corps of Engineer report, and to “prepare for litigation as considered necessary.”  Town Meeting voters also passed a referendum stating that they were strongly opposed to the project.

Now, after looking at the draft environmental report, Stagnone plans to recommend that the town spend an additional $50,000 on consultants to review the plan.

“There are a lot of changes in the proposal, and a lot to look at,” he said.

Though many town officials and residents in Raynham and Easton have also opposed the rail extension, both towns have modified their stances in the last few years.  Easton residents voted against spending town funds to fight the proposed Stoughton route in an April 2008 town election.  Raynham voters also rejected to spend money on litigation in 2007, and to instead focus on mitigation. 

Easton Planning Director Brad Washburn said his town has contacted safety and public officials to help compile the mitigation list, and many of the items are similar to Raynham’s requests.  Residents also can send in comments until May 27, and can get more information at www.mass.gov.southcoastrail. 

A preliminary list of Easton’s mitigation requests:

• Route 138 improvements upgrades – from the Stoughton line to Elm Street.
• A rail education program in the school
• A traffic signal at Union and Elm streets
• A traffic signal upgrade at Belmont and Washington streets, including a potential pedestrian crossing
• Sound barriers to protect residents along the route
• No whistles at grade crossings
• Mitigation for wetland impacts