David Mohler, the Executive Director of the MassDOT Office of Transportation on Right
It’s been talked about a few times in the last 10 years to bring passenger rail service back to the Foxboro area. Multiple ideas were expressed, but none of them gaining any traction. For many years now, the MBTA has been providing a special commuter rail service for Patriots games. These trains come from both the north and the south via the Northeast Corridor. Trains come from South Station in Boston and the TF Green Airport in Warwick, RI.
Background on the Framingham Secondary Line
Back in 1867 the Mansfield & Framingham Railroad built this 22 mile route providing freight service right from its beginning. Passenger service was on and off from 1893 to 1933. Freight is still alive and well on this 22 mile route now know as the Framingham Secondary line. Most weekday CSX trains make their way back and forth between Framingham and Mansfield. Once in Mansfield, rail traffic merges on to the Northeast Corridor. CSX services both industrial parks in Mansfield plus points north and south when needed.
One of the most photographed spots on the line is the diamond near the historic Union Station in Walpole, MA. This is where Mansfield & Franingham Railroad meets the Norfolk County Railroad line built in 1847. Nowadays you would see over a dozen Franklin commuter trains crossing over the diamond using a good portion of the Norfolk Country Railroads route.
The Selectmen Meeting
This past Tuesday, I attended the Foxborough Selectmen meeting in the auditorium of Ahern Middle School. The auditorium wasn’t full but there was a good amount of people that showed up for this hearing. Representing the state was David Mohler, the Executive Director of the MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning. He placed two maps on the stage, one displaying how the Foxboro Station will play a role with the current MBTA Commuter Rail lines while the second one displaying the existing Foxboro station, proposed parking, and support facilities.
The proposed Foxboro Station would become a part of the “Fairmount line” via the Franklin line. The MBTA would run approximately five trains weekdays: two AM peak trains, one mid-day train and two PM peak trains. Studies show that this new MBTA station would attract nearly 600 new riders. Currently, service on the “Fairmount Line” ends service in Readville, but if the Foxboro station is approved, trains would run express to and from Foxboro.
Back in March, the MassDOT met with the Kraft Group, the owners of Gillette Stadium. Nothing is written in stone, but the Kraft Group like the idea. Currently there is a platform already in place and ready to use parking is available as well. The Kraft Group with allow 500 of their current parking spaces to be used by the daily commuters. The Kraft Group would collect parking fees and maintain the parking lot (plowing, cleaning, etc.). The parking fee would be split between the Kraft Group and the MBTA. Also proposed is a five acre lot for support (layover) facilities, which would include storage tracks for the MBTA Commuter Rail trains. The layover facilities wouldn’t be built right away, but this is something that would happen over time.
MassDOT is currently acquiring the Framingham Secondary right of way from CSX. The deal should be done by the end of the month or no later than the end of the year. The price tag for this 22 mile right-of-way, is 23 million dollars. Mohler states MassDOT is investing in the future with this purchase. Without this purchase, the Foxboro Station proposal wouldn’t be possible. Whether or not the Foxboro station gets approved, this right of way would be a key connection to three major MBTA Commuter Rail Lines; Worcester, Franklin and Providence/Attleboro Line. This line could be used in emergency situations, allowing trains to bypass an incident such as derailment. Right now with the current track trains can travel at speeds of 15 MPH, but once the MBTA updates the track, that would bump up speeds to 45 MPH. This would also open up opportunities for a “Worcester Patriots” game train.
The Selectmen board and the general public seem to have mixed feeling on this proposal. I heard everything, as far as complaints, from noise to safety concerns. But, on the other hand, one resident was very vocal about how great it would be to be able to get in and out of Boston without dealing with the traffic.
Not that I know everything about Foxboro, but it seemed like the selectmen have a bitter taste in their mouths because of the Krafts’ involvement in this project. Multiple times during the hearing, Mohler was asked, “why didn’t you meet with us first before the Kraft Group?” His reasons were that the station is a part of their private property and to see if they have an interest in this project was a private matter. Bob Kraft recommended meeting with the town of Foxborough selectmen before processing any further, which prompted this meeting.
My thoughts…
In my opinion, this would be a great opportunity to connect the town of Foxboro to the city of Boston. Everything is already there as far as parking, the right of way, and a station. Yes, it will cost some money to upgrade the track and the station, but this project is no different than the CapeFlyer Summer train service. Everything was there, it just needed some improvements. The CapeFlyer just completed its second year of service with much success. I’m going to keep a close eye on this, stay tuned.
