It’s back to the future for regional planners promoting a rail line that would revive the Inland Route linking New York and Boston by way of Hartford, Springfield and Worcester. The cost is estimated at between $6.4 billion and $9.4 billion over a 10-year construction period, according to a study commissioned by the Capitol Region Council of Governments. While there is no funding for the rail line, supporters are encouraged by President Joe Biden’s proposal to spend billions of dollars on the nation’s infrastructure. The benefits of restoring the rail line that’s deteriorated due to a lack of investment would be tremendous for the Hartford-Springfield region, which is 40th in size in the U.S., the study says. Rebuilding the rail line would stoke investment in the region over 30 years of between $47 billion and $84 billion linked to new jobs in professional services, according to the study. It would include $27 billion to $48 billion in wages, residential and commercial construction jobs between New Haven and Worcester and local and state taxes in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The study points a way for the Hartford region and Connecticut to capitalize on its location between New York and Boston.
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-connecticut-commuter-rail-hartford-springfield-boston-20210430-woalrqcyajfblhwcdbpqe6wwc4-story.html