A major part of the climate crisis in Massachusetts is the approximately 40% share of total greenhouse gas emissions contributed by transportation. A large portion of this consists of automobile exhaust resulting often from the hours of oppressive commuting time characterized frequently by one person per car. Such wasted time in turn produces significant loss in time and productivity for business and enterprise.
I’ve had the opportunity to study maps of the northeastern U.S. drawn in 1904 before the automobile arrived on the scene. I was struck immediately by the profusion of small rail lines which traveled over terrain and topography seemingly inhospitable by today’s standard of straight and flat train tracks. Most of these rail lines have long since disappeared. How ironic that infrastructure planning is once again looking to rail travel as a possible solution to the transit problems posed by our reliance on the automobile.
The completion of a project such as east-west rail will not only invigorate the economy of Springfield and western Massachusetts, but also ease the crush of oppressive commuting. Electrification of the train system together with other vehicles would lessen harmful and dangerous emissions. Let’s hope U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and others in Congress are able to pass the Moving America Forward Act.
Jim Brown
Cambridge