Haddad Shows Support For Middleboro Route

House Speaker pro Tempore Patricia Haddad is giving her support to a Southcoast Rail route going through Middleboro.

Speaking with WBSM's Barry Richard the Somerset Representative said that the Middleboro route gives the Southcoast the opportunity to get rail service sooner than a Stoughton route would.

She also says that, if all goes well, other members of the state legislature could be persuaded to invest more money in rail for the region.

"I think that it gives us the opportunity to show that we have the ridership and that if we can fill trains in the commuter hours, then we should really look at if we should spend the additional money to get full time trains," said Haddad.

While the route will provide an additional transportation option for those who need to commute to Boston, Haddad says rail service will also be a boost to the region's economy.

"The more people we can move between Boston and the Southcoast, the more jobs can be created down here on the Southcoast," said Haddad "and I think that that's a very important point to make, that it's not just going north, it's the opportunities coming south."

On Monday state officials estimated that it would cost around 200-million dollars and take roughly six years to rehabilitate already existing rail lines and get the Middleboro route up and running.