SLEEyawnPY t1_it0edbm wrote on October 20, 2022 at 12:45 AM

Reply to comment by shellshocker528 in Do you think MA needs to build a commuter rail between Worcester and Fitchburg/Leominster? by HRJafael

>Without a greater need, I think a rail route between Fitchburg and Worcester will be a tough sell.

Worcester to Providence would be a much easier sell and I don't see that happening anytime soon, either, even though with respect to tracks at least everything is in place.

shellshocker528 t1_it2815t wrote on October 20, 2022 at 12:28 PM

There is a company called the Boston Surface Railroad that has been trying to get Worcester to Providence commuter service started for several years now. They even acquired an old FL9 locomotive, which has sat on a siding along 146 for a while now. Unfortunately, it looks like they're still having a hard time getting it off the ground, though I hope they succeed.

SLEEyawnPY t1_it2uyf9 wrote on October 20, 2022 at 3:14 PM

That always struck me as kind of a fly-by-night operation. There's a long thread about the situation here:

https://railroad.net/boston-surface-railroad-worcester-providence-commuter-rail-t160242-750.html

As one commenter mentions the odds may have been better back when the Providence & Worcester was an independent locally-owned operation. But they got acquired by the Genesee & Wyoming which is a huge international RR holding company conglomerate and I expect they're not interested in sharing their right-of-way for anything less than serious $$$ up front.

In the ideal it seems like it would be a good route for DMUs, or perhaps even BMUs, someday. But not sure if the US regulations with respect to operating lightweight units on the same tracks as freight have changed, yet..the FL9 is a museum piece, hope some good Samaritans save it before it rusts away completely.