>>> ALL ABOARD?
THE BERKSHIRE FLYER, A TRAIN THAT
WOULD USHER PEOPLE FROM THE BERKSHIRES TO NEW YORK CITY,
COULD BE ON THE RAILS AS SOON A THAT'S ACCORDING TO A REPORT
FROM THE BERKSHIRE FLYER WORKIN TO LEARN MORE, I SPOKE WITH
EDDIE SPORN, A MEMBER OF THE WORKING GROUP, AND STATE SENATO
ADAM HINDS, WHO HAS LOBBIED TO MAKE THIS A REALITY FOR THE REG.
WE HAVE MULTIPLE STUDIES TO POINT TO THAT TALK ABOUT THE
MILLION DOLLAR IMPACT.
AND ULTIMATELY THE STUDY THAT WAS JUST COMPLETED BY THE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION REALLY TALKS ABOUT THE SECOND
HOMEOWNERS, IMPACT ON CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS, TOURISM AND
INCREASINGLY A THIRD ELEMENT WHICH IS FOLKS WHO MIGHT LIVE
IN NEW YORK CITY AND WANT TO WORK REMOTELY AND TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF TECHNOLOGY TO DO THAT.
>> AND REAL ESTATE LESS EXPENSIVE THAN IN THE CITY.
>> EXACTLY AND THAT IS WHY PEOPLE ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT
THIS.
>> SO YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE WORKING GROUP AND I KNOW OFF
PLANNING BACKGROUND BUT WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO
GET INVOLVED WITH THIS EFFORT?
>> I FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT TRANSPORTATION BEING ONE OF
THE CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF THE BERKSHIRES FUTURE AND I AM A
MEMBER OF THE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE CITY
AND THE BERKSHIRES.
AND WHEN IT TURNED OUT NOT TO GO ANYWHERE BECAUSE OF THE
CONNECTICUT FUNDING ISSUES, I LOOKED FOR ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE
THE CONNECTION AND I THINK AS ADAM MENTIONED, IT IS ONE OF
THE KEY ELEMENTS FOR THE ECONOMIC FUTURE OF THE
BERKSHIRES, TO BE CONNECTED TO NEW YORK CITY AND ALSO
ULTIMATELY BOSTON.
>> SO WHEN WE LOOKED AT THIS, THE WORKING GROUP TOOK TIME TO
LOOK AT THIS ISSUE AND NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A POSSIBLE
PILOT TO 2020.
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN SO QUICKLY?
>> WELL, IT WAS EDDIE'S IDEA.
HE CAME TO MY OFFICE SHORTLY AFTER BEING SWORN IN AND IT IS
ALMOST UNPRECEDENTED.
WITHIN TEN MONTHS, I FILED AN AMEND WANT TO THE BUDGET, WE
HAD THE WORKING GROUP THAT DID THEIR WORK FOR SIX MONTHS AND
NOW WE HAVE A REPORT THAT SAYS WE'RE READY TO START A PILOT.
AND THEY SAID NO EARLIER THAN 2019 AND CERTAINLY NO LATER
THAN 2019.
>> THE WORKING GROUP -- >> YES, WORKING GROUP FOR THE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND NOW IT IS MY JOB TO GO
INTO THE BUDGET AND MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE INTERIM STEPS LIKE
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT TRANSPORTATION WHEN SOMEBODY
GETS OFF THE TRAIN, THE MARKETING PLAN FOR THE PILOT.
>> WHY DO YOU THINK THAT THIS
HAS GONE FASTER THAN OTHER RAIL PROJECTS?
>> THR-FGS ZERO INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT REQUIRED --
>> YOU ARE GOING TO USE EXISTING TRACKS --
>> USING EXISTING RAILS SO ALL IT IS IS ADDING TO AN EXISTING
SERVICE FROM NEW YORK CITY TO ALBANY TO GO ON TO THE
BERKSHIRES IN PITSFIELD.
ADDITIONALLY, THE GROUP DID LOOK AT APPROACHES THAT WOULD
REQUIRE MORE INVESTMENT, INCLUDING ON 3000-FOOT SPUR
SOUTH OF ALBANY TO CUT TIME.
THE WORKING GROUP FOUND IT COULD COST 16, 17 MILLION MORE
AND ONLY CUT OFF A COUPLE OF MINUTES.
SO WE REACHED THIS TO DEMONSTRATE HOW TO EFFECTIVELY
GET TO A PILOT AND THEN THE GOAL OF THE PILOT IS TO
INDICATE THAT THERE IS A MARKET AND HAVE A MORE
CONSISTENT PLAN FOR THE BERKSHIRES.
>> YOU LOOKED AT SEVERAL OPTIONS.
WHY DID YOU SETTLE ON THIS ONE WITH THE EXISTING TRACK?
>> AGAIN, IT IS ALWAYS A LOOK AT THE INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS
WITH ANY NEW PLAN AND THERE WAS ZERO COST BECAUSE AMTRAK
RUNS ON THE RAILS 13 TRAINS A DAY IN EACH DIRECTION.
THE LINES THAT RUN BETWEEN PITTSFIELD AND ALBANY ALREADY
HAS A LINE RUNNING ON IT.
SO IT IS RARE YOU HAVE A PLAN THAT BASICALLY HAS YOUR
INFRASTRUCTURE ALL SET UP FOR YOU.
THAT IS WHY WE SETTLED ON IT.
WE UNDERSTAND DOLLARS ARE VERY TIGHT AND THERE WAS A
COMPETING INTEREST FOR MONEY AND HERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
START A SERVICE WHERE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT INVESTING BY COMPARISON TO OR THE PLANS IN THE STATE
IS VERY, VERY SMALL.
>> I WANT TO BE CLEAR, THOUGH.
WE ABSOLUTELY ARE SUPPORTING AND WORKING WITH SENATORS IN
THE AREAS TO INSURE THAT THE EAST WEST RAIL GAINS SPEED AND
IS CONDUCTED.
WE WOULD BENEFIT JUST AS MUCH WITH THE WHOLE INTENTION OF
THIS IS CONNECTING ECONOMIC CENTERS AND THE CORRIDORS FROM
NEWHAVEN, SPRINGFIELD AND GREENVILLE.
>> WHICH IS ALSO MOVING FORWARD.
>> YES.
>> SO 20 MILLION IS THE ESTIMATE TO OPERATE IT
ANNUALLY.
THAT SEEMS LOW TO ME.
WHAT IS THAT BASED ON?
>> IT IS BASED ON A 20-WEEK PERIOD.
THAT IS THE NUMBER AMTRAK GAVE US.
THEY DID COSTING FOR WHAT IT WOULD COST TO PROVIDE THE
SERVICE BETWEEN NEW YORK CITY -- EXCUSE ME, BETWEEN
ALBANY AND PITSFIELD.
I HAVE SEEN ELEMENTS OF THAT, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE,
SENATOR?
>> THERE IS A SMALL BREAKDOWN IN THE REPORT.
>> BUT BASICALLY THAT IS THE NUMBER THAT AMTRAK GAVE US FOR
OPERATING OVER A 20-WEEK PERIOD AND THAT WILL BE
MITIGATED SOMEWHAT AS WE COLLECT FOR TICKETS AND
WHATEVER.
THERE MAY BE OPPORTUNITIES, NOT MENTIONED IN THE REPORT,
OF BEING ABLE TO TAKE PEOPLE FROM PITSFIELD TO ALBANY AND
NEW YORK CITY WHEN THE TRAIN DEADHEADS GOING PITSFIELD TO
ALBANY ON A FRIDAY AND FROM ALBANY TO PITSFIELD ON A
SUNDAY AFTERNOON BUT THAT IS BASICALLY HOW MUCH AMTRAK GAVE
US TO OPERATE THE SERVICE.
>> AND DO WE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT NUTS AND BOLTS, HOW MUCH
IT WILL TAKE TO AFFORD THE TRAIN?
>> THAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE WORKING GROUP, TO
DETERMINE THAT.
THE CAPE FLYER GOES TO BOSTON ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND COMES
BACK SUNDAY NIGHT AND THE IDEA IS THAT IS WHERE YOU WILL HAVE
A CLEAR MARKET, YOU CAN CAPTURE FOLKS WHO TO WANT COME
UP FOR THE WEEKENDS.
WE DELIBERATELY DID THAT BECAUSE THERE IS A PRECEDENT
AND ONE THAT IS NOT SUBSIDIZED BY THE STATE SO WE'RE VERY
CONSCIOUS OF THAT AS WELL, NOT USING TAXPAYER MONEY.
IT IS ONE OF TWO PROFITABLE SERVICES IN THE ENTIRE MBTA
WHICH IS VERY WELL NOTED BY THE WORKING GROUP AND SO WE
THINK IT PROVIDES A BASIS FOR DEMONSTRATING AND THERE ARE
THOSE STRONG LINKS BETWEEN NEW YORK CITY AND WESTERN
MASSACHUSETTS AND ONE THAT CAN BE CAPITALIZED ON.
>> YOU HAVE LIVED IN NEW YORK AND OTHER CITIES.
WHAT WAS THE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
LIKE THIS READILY AVAILABLE TO YOU?
>> WELL, I LIKE TO THINK MORE ABOUT NOT JUST MYSELF BUT
PEOPLE A LITTLE YOUNGER THAN MYSELF IN TERMS OF THEIR
AFFINITY FOR MASS TRANSPORTATION.
I THINK IT IS PRETTY WELL DOCUMENTED THAT MILLENNIALS,
PEOPLE IN THEIR 30s AND 40s, IF GIVEN MASS
TRANSPORTATION WHICH IS AFFORDABLE AND CONVENIENT,
WILL GENERALLY TAKE IT OVER CARS.
I AM THE SORT OF PERSON WHO LOVES TRAINS SO IT DOESN'T
MATTER TO ME.
WOULDN'T MATTER WHAT THEY COST.
BUT FOR SOMEONE WHO DOES HAVE RATIONAL THOUGHT AND THINKS
ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION RATIONALLY, I THINK THERE ARE
MANY PEOPLE IN THE AREA WHO IF THEY COULD GET ON A TRAIN,
THEY WOULD.
>> THERE ARE OVER 600,000 HOUSEHOLDS, NOT PEOPLE, IN
MANHATTAN THAT DO NOT HAVE CARS AND ONE THING THAT IS
VERY CLEAR IS THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO GO ON WEEKEND TRIPS
THAT ANY CAN REACH THROUGH PUBLIC TRANSIT.
>> VERY QUICKLY, WHAT IS NEXT FOR THE PROJECT?
>> WE WILL BE WORKING ON THE LOCAL ON-DEMAND SERVICES, IN
OTHER WORDS, WHEN FOLKS GET OFF THE TRAIN, WILL THERE BE
RIDE SHARING, SHUTTLES, BUSES.
AND THERE IS A MARKETING PLAN, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE
KNOW IT EXISTS AND THEN A FULL FINANCIAL PLAN FOR THE
OPERATION