Selectmen Back Foxborough Commuter Rail Pilot Program

MANSFIELD, MA — Add Mansfield to the list of towns in support of Foxborough getting rail service.

The board of selectmen voted 3-1 Wednesday night to support the 11-month pilot program. Selectman Jess Aptowitz voted in the negative and Selectman George Dentino was not present.

Mansfield is now the third town to back the project, joining Sharon and Franklin.

State Rep. Jay Barrows, Foxborough Town Manager Bill Keegan, and Foxborough Town Planner Paige Duncan appeared in front of the board as part of the ask for support. The three cited the parking crunch at the Mansfield and Sharon stations as one of the benefits of a station at Gillette Stadium.

“We hear phone call after phone call about getting into Boston and the commuter lot we share. We’re all dealing with this getting to Boston problem,” Duncan said.

Currently, the MBTA only runs trains to the platform at the stadium for New England Patriots games and select special events. The pilot program would see six to eight trips to South Station in Boston by way of the Fairmount Line. Once it jumps on the line at Readville, the train will make stops across the line before reaching its final destination.

A big selling point for the station has been parking. The stadium will provide 500 parking spaces, with all revenue going to the MBTA. With parking availability in Sharon and Mansfield in the low single-digits, Foxborough officials are hoping that the prospect of getting a parking spot after 7 a.m. can attract commuters from other stations.

“We think it will shift the demand but while we can't say every resident will go to Foxboro, we think it will shift the pressure We hear stories about if ‘I don’t get to the train before 7 a.m., then I have to drive to Westwood,’” Duncan said.

While Keegan promoted the idea that the train station could help unlock a potential $1.3 billion economic opportunity, some selectmen questioned how a Foxborough project could benefit Mansfield.

“To me, the fact that it’s going to be more convenient for people in Foxborough doesn't make it more attractive to Mansfield,” Selectman Frank DelVecchio said. “ I don’t see how making it more convenient to develop Foxborough makes the land in Mansfield more attractive.”

Keegan responded that the area remains one of the last undeveloped parts of the region and adding rail only encourages people to look at developing parts of the area.

Aptowitz said he thinks expansion is great, but called on the MBTA to fix their current problems before expanding.

“(The trains) are overcrowded, they’re late, they’re not really reliable. You hear about switch problems, signal problems and we hear stories about how much they’re in trouble. There’s so much infrastructure repair that has to happen before expansion,” Aptowitz said.

According to Duncan, the money going towards the programs is earmarked for pilots.

“It’s not coming from a pot to fix things. If this money doesn't come here, it’s going to Lynn or overnight service,” Duncan said.

Foxborough officials will take their case to the MBTA’s Fiscal Management Control Board at the end of the month.

Image: File Photo