Transportation Initiatives
The following brief outlines initiatives that the Chamber has been working on regarding transportation-related issues and opportunities, on behalf of our members and the entire business community.
Union Station Center Platform
The center platform is a major upgrade to Union Station, enabling two commuter rail trains to enter the station simultaneously. Before the project was completed, service at Union Station was limited because only one train could enter the station at a time. Delays often caused a cascading effect, resulting in tightly scheduled trains having to queue outside the station. With train service increasing between Boston and Worcester, along with the addition of new Amtrak service between Boston and Springfield, the new platform—which opened in July 2024—will accommodate the rise in traffic along one of the state’s busiest east-west rail lines.
MBTA Union Station Center Platform (Photo Credit MBTA)
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MBTA: Heart-to-Hub Express
Beginning service in 2016, the Heart-to-Hub Express train, operated by Keolis—the MBTA’s commuter rail operator—offered commuters a one-hour rail service from Worcester to Boston that was fast, reliable, and convenient.
According to Tim Murray, President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, “The Heart-to-Hub Express train is an essential piece of transportation infrastructure for Worcester, as it connects workers to high-tech and new-economy start-up companies, spurring economic development in both cities.”
However, in October 2023, the MBTA’s fall schedule was unveiled, eliminating the morning and evening express trains and adding 30 minutes to commuters’ travel time. In response to the cancellation of the Heart-to-Hub service, the Mayor established a Transportation Task Force to advocate for its restoration and address broader transit concerns. The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce is an active member of this task force.
Thanks to the collective efforts of the community, local and state leaders, and business officials, service was successfully restored in May 2024—demonstrating why this express train is vital to Worcester’s transportation infrastructure and economic development.
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West-East Rail, “Compass Rail”
Currently, train service between Springfield and Boston is limited to a single daily trip operated by Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited, which runs between Boston and Chicago. However, as of September 2023, more frequent service between Springfield and Boston is on the horizon. The federal government awarded a $108 million grant for rail infrastructure improvements between Worcester and Springfield.
The Healey-Driscoll Administration, along with MassDOT—in partnership with Amtrak and with support from CSX—announced that the Commonwealth will receive this funding as part of the $135 million East-West Rail Infrastructure Project, known as “Compass Rail,” between Boston and Springfield. The funding will support the introduction of two new daily Amtrak Inland Route round trips between Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and continuing on to New York City. The project will also include track improvements between Worcester and Springfield to allow trains to operate at higher speeds.
According to Meredith Slesinger, Rail and Transit Administrator for MassDOT, “Improving the class of track means that we can get to that two-hour travel time between Boston and Springfield.”
In addition, Amtrak recently announced it would be providing direct service between Worcester and Boston, via its Lake Shore Limited when it departs from Union Station in Worcester and arrives at Boston South Station, with a journey time of approximately 1 hour. This service offers passengers an alternative to the MBTA commuter rail, which operates more frequently but with longer travel times.
The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce believes East-West Rail is an essential component of connecting all regions of the state—not only to Boston, but to New England and New York City as well. On October 13, 2023, the Chamber hosted its 8th annual Game Changers conference, which focused on rail as a key transportation solution vital to the movement of goods and people by providing critical connections across New England and beyond. Additionally, in June 2024, the Chamber hosted Andy Koziol, MassDOT’s East-West Rail Coordinator, for a conversation on the future of East-West Rail.
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Freight Rail
The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce continues to advocate for expanded funding for the Commonwealth’s Industrial Rail Access Program (IRAP), with accountability measures that guarantee biannual allocations through these matching grants. On March 19, 2020, the Chamber hosted a Business & Government Forum focused on this initiative. Representatives from MassDOT, the Massachusetts Rail Association, and Central Massachusetts freight rail companies discussed the infrastructure needs required to address the region’s growing congestion challenges.
In June 2022, CSX—the Class I railroad operating in Worcester—completed its acquisition of Pan Am Railways, Inc. This acquisition expanded CSX’s reach into the Northeast and underscored its growth strategy centered on efficient and reliable freight service for the region. In October 2023, the Chamber hosted CSX President and CEO Joseph Hinrichs at its President’s Council Meeting to discuss the strategic importance of CSX’s expansion and its impact on freight rail in Central Massachusetts.
(Photo Credit T&G File Photo / Rick Cinclair)
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Port of Worcester
The Port of Entry in Worcester is the largest inland port in New England, accepting and distributing thousands of goods each year from foreign countries. Goods arrive at the Port through three primary modes of transportation: rail, truck, and plane. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in Worcester is responsible for processing these shipments, most of which arrive by rail. Once processed, the goods are distributed throughout the entire Eastern Corridor by rail or truck.
The primary advantage of the Port of Worcester is that it enables local shippers to process goods from foreign markets more quickly and efficiently than larger coastal ports such as Boston, Providence, or New York/New Jersey. The Port primarily handles consumer goods, including textiles, recreational equipment, food, medicine, household furnishings, raw materials, and parts used in various manufacturing industries.
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Rail Vision Commission
A commission was established to “identify cost-effective strategies to transform the existing commuter rail system into one that better supports improved mobility and economic competitiveness in Greater Boston.” As a member of the Rail Vision Commission, the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce (WRCC) continues to advocate for the use of Rail Traffic Controller (RTC)—a simulation tool that models the movement of trains through rail networks with detailed and realistic precision. RTC is used across systems including the MBTA, Amtrak, NJ Transit, BNSF, CSX, and many others.
This tool informs decisions related to rail infrastructure such as switches, signals, platforms, grades, and speed limitations. It also supports train dispatching logic, helping to monitor vehicle performance, braking systems, signal logic, Positive Train Control (PTC), routing, and conflict resolution. Additionally, RTC generates dispatching statistics to proactively address operational challenges, including on-time performance, revenue and non-revenue mileage, average speeds, and delays.
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Massachusetts Business Coalition on Transportation (MBCT)
The Massachusetts Business Coalition for Transportation was established to determine the possibility of building a consensus among the state’s business organizations and help guide elected and appointed leadership in moving Massachusetts closer to a first-class and responsive statewide transportation system. After nearly six months of meetings and work (including conversations and a survey of participant business organizations), by more than two dozen business stakeholder organizations, there was near-unanimous consensus among the groups on the need for additional revenue for transportation.
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Free-Fare WRTA
Through the Massachusetts Business Coalition on Transportation (MBCT), the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce published its position paper outlining key transportation priorities, including several specific to the Central Massachusetts region. The Chamber is advocating for funding a three-year pilot program that would provide free access to bus services operated by the Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA).
Additionally, the Chamber supports the implementation of reforms recommended by the Task Force on Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Performance and Funding in its report, A Vision for the Future of Mass RTA. The Chamber also endorses the Worcester Regional Research Bureau’s report, The Implications of a Fare-Free WRTA, which highlights the benefits of implementing a fare-free pilot program.
As of now, fare-free service on WRTA buses has been extended through June 2026.
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Massport | Worcester Regional Airport
Since Massport purchased the Worcester Regional Airport from the City of Worcester in 2010, the Chamber has appreciated and supported the efforts across two gubernatorial administrations and changes in Massport’s leadership to advance the Worcester Regional Airport for commercial aviation. Since 2010, considerable progress has resulted in more than 1 million passengers being served and an estimated economic impact of $97 million for the region. 
The presence of JetBlue, American Airlines, and Delta has facilitated incremental growth at Worcester Regional Airport. In 2020 the Chamber conducted a Passenger Survey of the residents in the Central Massachusetts region. The results from the survey showed that 93% of the 1,300 respondents were “very likely” or “likely” to fly out of Worcester if there was a direct connection to a location they desired. The top destinations that travelers would like to see service out of Worcester were Chicago, Washington DC, and Atlanta. In April 2023, JetBlue expanded service at the Airport by offering a daily flight round trip flight to Orlando, Florida, and a winter seasonal round-trip flight to Fort Myers, Florida. However, at the expense of the two (2) newly added Florida flights, JetBlue terminated the late return and early morning departure commuter flight to New York’s JFK International Airport. In 2023, the airport had over 204,000 passengers fly in and out of Worcester. The Chamber will continue to work with Massport to boost the Worcester Regional Airport as a supplement to flying out of Logan.