On the one hand, Tuesday’s hearing on Beacon Hill for Senator Eric Lesser’s rail study bill is a familiar ritual for the Longmeadow Democrat. The legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee has favorably reported it before. The Massachusetts Senate has included it in the budget more than
The budget for the commonwealth emerged from its conference committee cocoon early Friday morning missing the fiscal year’s start last week. While the spending plan did preserve many key programs in the face of declining revenues, more than $400 million was sliced from the House
SPRINGFIELD—Ahead of its summer slowdown, the City Council ripped through a potpourri agenda featuring new ordinances, support for added rail service and derailment of a labor contract. Earlier in the evening, the City Council had unanimously passed Mayor Domenic Sarno’s budget without any cuts. Similar
On Monday afternoon the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority proposed ending weekend commuter rail service and certain services for disabled riders. Ostensibly, the “saved” money would be put toward maintenance, which the system desperately needs. However, such a dramatic step would cripple attempts to build out mass
CAMBRIDGE—With federal action on climate change frozen, at best, for the next four years, activists in the commonwealth are turning inward for the resources necessary to finance infrastructure improvements, reduce greenhouse gases and support the growth of the Boston area. But with this drive comes a recognition
This week Masslive reported bus line magnate Peter Picknelly had emailed Governor Charlie Baker shortly before the governor effectively vetoed a study on developing and implementing reliable rail service between Boston and Springfield. The study’s fate, a priority of Longmeadow Senator Eric Lesser, remains in
UPDATED 7/1/2016 8:36AM: To include comments from Amtrak about the platform delay and station renovations. SPRINGFIELD—Less than a year out from its anticipated opening, one part of Union Station will not go online alongside the rest of the terminal. A new rail platform fully compliant
The Massachusetts Senate unanimously adopted an amendment offered by Longmeadow Senator Eric Lesser Thursday that would order the Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to study regular rail service between Boston and Springfield. While the Senate’s approval was unsurprising, it inches the commonwealth toward better connecting its
After a winter of discontent that paralyzed the commonwealth, mostly its Eastern regions, there emerged from the cocoon a most bizarre creature. Governor Charlie Baker, who scraped into office with 48.4% of the vote by a gimp 1.9% margin, now finds himself with a stratospheric
January is bill-filing time at the Massachusetts legislature and area lawmakers, including the newest ones were busy. It is too soon to declare any bill a success—they must pass first—but one piece of legislation Senator Eric Lesser filed has potential beyond the meaning of its