Boston Surface Railroad

The Boston Surface Railroad Company (BSRC) is a proposed private commuter rail service between Providence, Rhode Island, Worcester, Massachusetts and Nashua, New Hampshire on trackage owned by the Genesee & Wyoming and Pan Am Railways.[2]

Boston Surface Railroad

Overview
Service type	Commuter rail
Status	Planned
Locale	Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Predecessor	Penn Central's passenger service over Providence and Worcester Railroad-owned tracks
First service	May 2020[1]
Website	http://www.bsrc.com/
Route
Start	Worcester Union Station
Stops	3
End	Providence Station
Average journey time	65–70 minutes
Service frequency	2 daily round trips
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Track owner(s)	Providence and Worcester Railroad
Route map Amtrak Lake Shore Limited and MBTA Framingham/Worcester Line Worcester Providence & Worcester mainline Lake Shore Limited Norwich & Worcester mainline Massachusetts Rhode Island Woonsocket East Providence Branch Amtrak Northeast Corridor and MBTA Providence/Stoughton Line Providence Amtrak Northeast Corridor and MBTA Providence/Stoughton Line

The company was formed in 2014 by Vincent Bono, when it began a feasibility study for operating three trains daily over the route, with a single intermediate stop in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.[3] The estimated initial budget was between $3 and $5 million, largely for building a platform at Worcester Union Station, building a single passing siding, and the purchase and refurbishment of three locomotives and twelve passenger cars.[4] The project was to be privately financed, and would have used a mix of money from investors and commercial credit.[5]

By August 2015, the feasibility study had been completed, and the company had agreed to a memorandum of understanding with the PW for the use of its trackage and had submitted a safety plan to the Federal Railroad Administration.[4][5] It had begun negotiating with the PWRR for a final trackage rights agreement pending identification of all infrastructure improvements required, and had also begun work on an agreement with Amtrak for access into Providence.[5] In September 2016, the operation won approval from the Surface Transportation Board.

In 2016 the Rhode Island Department of Transportation leased the Woonsocket Depot in Woonsocket to the BSRC to by used by the company as a hub for the line.[6] Later in 2016, the company moved its headquarters to the depot.[7][8]

In June 2017, the company revised the start date to mid-2019 due to difficulties acquiring rolling stock and negotiating track usage costs with Genesee & Wyoming.[9] However, two locomotives were acquired via auction from the Connecticut Department of Transportation in August 2018.[10]

On June 28, 2019, the Boston Surface Railroad Company was involuntarily dissolved for failure to file an annual report by the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, though it was reinstated two months later after the delinquent reports were filed.[11]

On October 6, 2019, the company filed a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Hampshire (case #19-11393-BAH).[12] At the time, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation had won an eviction case against the company that would have ousted it from what its web site listed as its headquarters: 1 Depot Square, Woonsocket, RI.[13]

Planned operations

The railroad had planned to begin operation in 2020 with two round trips over the line each day, with morning trains traveling southbound and evening trains northbound, and a total trip time of between 65 and 70 minutes.[5][8] On-board amenities were planned to include wireless Internet access and assigned seating via an electronic ticketing system.[3] It expected to initially attract about 600 passengers per day, with ridership rising in following years.[3][5]

The service was planned to extend north as far as Bedford, New Hampshire and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. In October 2017, Nashua city leaders approved a proposal to partner with Boston Surface Railroad to bring rail to the city.[1][14]

It was revealed in October, 2019 that the company plans to offer passenger bus service between Providence, Woonsocket and Worcester in February, 2020.[15] Rail service is reportedly planned by the company between the same cities in late 2020. [15]

References

1. Fisher, Damien (19 December 2018). "Nashua to MA rail service is still in progress". The Nashua Telegram. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
2. Seoane, Sandy (July 26, 2017). "Four towns on board for partnership with Woonsocket train investor". The Valley Breeze.
3. "Worcester-Providence 'JetBlue of rail commuting' envisioned". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. 22 November 2014. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
4. "Boston company plans to offer nation's first private passenger rail line in decades". Fox Business. 6 August 2015. Archived from the original on 10 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
5. "Arlington railroad co. plans Providence-Worcester route". Boston Herald. 7 August 2015. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
6. Olivo, Russ (2 February 2016). "State to lease Depot Square to company proposing commuter rail". The Call (Woonsocket). Retrieved 3 February 2016.
7. staff (June 26, 2016). "Commuter rail company moves to Woonsocket". Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
8. Seoane, Sandy (April 20, 2016). "Woonsocket on track for new train service". The Valley Breeze.
9. Seoane, Sandy (July 19, 2017). "City's commuter train plan chugs ahead". Valley Breeze. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
10. Clem, Lauren (10 October 2018). "Woonsocket-Providence passenger rail on track for spring 2020". Valley Breeze. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
11. "Mass. Corporations, external master page". corp.sec.state.ma.us. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
12. "District of New Hampshire | United States Bankruptcy Court". www.nhb.uscourts.gov. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
13. "PressReader.com - Your favorite newspapers and magazines". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
14. Sutherland, Paige (October 11, 2017). "Nashua One Step Closer to Getting Commuter Rail". NHPR.
15. Telegram & Gazette Staff (October 29, 2019). "Boston Surface Railroad Co. plans to launch Worcester-Woonsocket-Providence bus service". Telegram & Gazette.

External links

• Official website