Selectmen Scheduled to Respond to MassDOT Letter

FOXBOROUGH, MA — The selectmen could respond to a letter that stated that there will be a layover station in Foxborough if the Gillette Stadium platform becomes a full-time stop.

Tuesday night's selectmen agenda has the item "Consideration of the response from the MBTA concerning the Commuter Rail Pilot Program" scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

While no layover station is planned for the Foxborough Commuter Rail pilot program, that could change if the pilot becomes a permanent program. In a letter dated Dec. 20, MassDOT Rail and Transit Administrator Astrid Glynn told Town Manager Bill Keegan that the layover station is an essential part of permanent service in Foxborough. She wrote that while a layover is not planned for the pilot program, layover capacity is at the end of nearly all commuter rail lines, according to the letter.

The selectmen voted 4-1 in November to support the pilot program, with one of the conditions being that there is no overnight storage of trains.

Also scheduled is a possible vote on a regional dispatch center. Plans are in the works to create a regional emergency communications center with Mansfield, Easton, and Norton. The Mansfield selectmen voted last week to move forward. If all towns vote to join, the dispatch center will be located in the current Mansfield Police Department and will be created following Mansfield police's move into their new police station.

The selectmen are scheduled to meet at Foxborough High School at 6:30 p.m. for an executive session and 7 p.m. for open session.

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