MassDOT Acquires Framingham Secondary Rail Line for $23M

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced Wednesday the acquisition of the Framingham Secondary Rail Line, a 21-mile segment of rail that connects Framingham and Mansfield, from CSX Corporation for $23 million.

The purchase of the line will support existing needs for freight transport and will create a potential for a future pilot passenger service, MassDOT said in a press release.

The purchase of the rail strategically connects the Framingham/Worcester, Needham, Franklin and Attleboro/Northeast Corridor commuter rail lines together.

The Framingham Secondary Line is also a major rail corridor for the shipment of freight between several key points in eastern Massachusetts, including Readville, Milford, Franklin, Fall River, and New Bedford, as well as Worcester.

“After careful consideration of the agreement to purchase the Framingham Secondary Rail Line from CSX, MassDOT concluded that acquiring this rail asset supports our goals of increasing use of freight rail, which takes trucks off our highways and reduces greenhouse gases by consolidating the movement of freight,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. “Additionally, purchase of the line establishes the interconnectivity of four of our major commuter rail lines, which allows us to plan for future rail upgrades in a way that will minimize disruptions by creating options for trains to continue providing passenger service by bypassing sections of rail on any of the four lines that would be under construction.”

The purchase of the line also guarantees the continuance of game-day passenger service to and from Gillette Stadium for Patriots games.

Before becoming fully operational though, the line will require significant upgrades to track, signals and switches, to accommodate passenger trains. Upgrades are set to begin next spring.