A Groundbreaking for the Rail Trail in Wayland

WAYLAND, MA—Many have been waiting for a long time for this to happen. It's here.

A ground breaking ceremony is happening on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 9 a.m. at the Wayland Depot. Refreshments will be served. The initial portion of the Wayland Rail Trail will stretch from the new town center development to the old Wayland Depot, said the announcement.

Funding for this project will come from CPA funds, a DCR grant and the town center development mitigation gift fund. This project, combined with the Eversource rail trail project, will complete 2 miles of continuous Rail Trail in Wayland.

The Mass Central Trail is a 104-mile railroad line that was shattered by a hurricane in 1938. The line once stretched from downtown Boston to Northampton, MA.
Now,almost 80 years later, dedicated volunteers, property owners, government agencies and businesses in 24 communities are working to dig it out and open it up, said a press release from the town. Instead of trains, there will be tourists and locals, bed & breakfast inns, cross-country skiers, bicyclists, hikers, joggers, and babies in strollers.

Wayland Board of Selectmen Chair, Cherry Karlson, stated, a statement, “The Town of Wayland looks forward to the development of additional miles of useable trails and also to someday joining our trail to other trails in adjacent communities. We strongly support everyone’s efforts and their continued endeavors to transform this abandoned rail corridor into a linear park. We specifically want to thank the Wayland residents who had this vision and helped us see it through to today’s groundbreaking.”