Mass Central Rail Trail Work In Sudbury Could Start In 2024: DCR

SUDBURY, MA — If all goes according to plan, construction on a new section of the Mass Central Rail trail from Wayland through Sudbury and into Hudson could begin in about 18 months.

At a meeting Tuesday, Paul Jahnige, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation's director of greenways and trails, briefed the Sudbury Select Board on the status of the town's section of the Mass Central Rail Trail — a planned 105-mile trail that will span Boston to Northampton.

The 7-1/2 mile Sudbury and Hudson section of the trail will be built on top of a former MBTA rail corridor, which Eversource is using to bury transmission lines. After the utility finishes that work, DCR will be able to pave over the former rail line to build a section of the trail at a relatively low cost: about $5 million.

Based on current timeline for the Eversource project, Jahnige said DCR could start construction on the 12-month paving project midway through 2024. Eversource began work on the transmission line project within the last few months.

Both the Eversource and Mass Central Rail Trail project have been in the works for about seven years. Jahnige said the state has already secured permits to start the work from a slew of town boards, including the Conservation Commission and Planning Board.

Sudbury will be in a unique position in the region with rail trails. Sudbury will start construction soon on a key piece of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail from Route 20 north to the Concord line. The Mass Central Rail Trail piece will intersect with the Freeman trail, which will eventually span some 25 miles from Chelmsford to Framingham.

Sudbury has also acquired land to build the Bruce Freeman trail south from Route 20 to the Framingham line, although that section is still in the design phase.

There is a group of residents in Sudbury and Hudson who are working to stop the Eversource project, which would prevent or delay construction of the Mass Central Rail Trail. The group is involved in a Land Court case seeking to reclaim pieces of the former rail line that the trail would use.