The City of Worcester’s MBTA Working Group is calling for the city’s needs to be considered during the upcoming $2-billion Allston Multimodal Project.
A chairman’s report released by the working group Monday said the 2023 elimination of the Heart to Hub express train connecting Worcester with Boston has resulted in about 40 extra minutes of commuting time for travelers from Worcester.
The report comes as planning continues for the Allston Multimodal Project, an effort seeking to straighten and rebuild the Interstate 90 corridor in Allston while adding a new Commuter Rail station and additional rail capacity.
Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty said in a Monday announcement accompanying the report that modern and reliable Commuter Rail is key to the city realizing its full economic potential.
The report notes a new express train reintroduced in May 2024 is scheduled to arrive at 8:45 a.m., a time it says is often too late for traditional 9-to-5 workers. The express train is often affected by limited track capacity because it shares tracks with local trains.
Stopping short of calling for the return of the Heart to Hub express train, the report says future infrastructure projects should prioritize the ability to bypass the planned West Station in Allston to improve travel times for Worcester commuters. It calls for increased advocacy with state officials, noting data from 2024 shows Worcester accounted for nearly 16% of all inbound weekday passenger boardings.
The report seeks to ensure that Grand Junction Bridge, a key link between the MBTA Commuter Rail’s northern and southern tracks, remains open during the upcoming Allston Multimodal Project. As noted in a May report from the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, closure of the bridge would result in trains having to take a 100-mile detour to receive maintenance at the MBTA’s repair yard in Somerville, a reality which could have a major impact on reliability of the Framingham/Worcester Line.
“It is critical that we keep the focus on the needs of Central Massachusetts at a time when important decisions that will affect Worcester are being made by the MBTA and MassDOT,” Richard Burke, chair of the Worcester MBTA Working Group, said in the Monday announcement.
Noting that 51% of the Commuter Rail fleet is currently out of a state of good repair, the report highlights the need for adequate equipment to maintain existing frequency and allow for future expansion.
The report calls for modernized, automated ridership data collection to allow for more accurate assessments of rider needs. It calls for monitoring a $22-million signal modernization project slated for completion later this year, which the report describes as key to enhancing service capacity and reliability without adding tracks.”
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.
