Say YES To Middleborough

The Baker Administration wants to honor a pledge made many years ago to bring commuter rail to the region and we should graciously accept what is being proposed.

There have been promises made since Mike Dukakis was governor to bring commuter rail to Southeastern Massachusetts but until now finding the money has been a big, big problem.  The Baker Administration says it appears unlikely that the Stoughton route through swamps and small town centers can become a reality for various reasons but it wants to make good on those long ago promises and is willing to fund rail service through Middleboro instead.  The project would be a less direct route but at a fraction of the cost and could be completed within five years.  The price for the Stoughton route has ballooned to an estimated 3.2 billion dollars with no guarantees of a groundbreaking before 2030, if at all.

The regional legislative delegation has done yeoman's work in fighting for rail over these many years and should accept this as a victory.  Some still think we should hold out for Stoughton but that most likely would result in no rail link to Boston at all.  By tying our dreams to a rail car that might never pass this way we further risk losing funding for other badly needed projects in the region such as a new New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge and an expansion of Route 79 North in Fall River.

Tell the Baker Administration we accept the Middleborough route and lets get about finally connecting New Bedford-Fall River to the state's capital by rail.  This may be our last, best chance to do so.