BOSTON (WHDH) - Local leaders are pushing to expand commuter rail service to Bourne, which would give thousands more access to the greater Cape region.
“It would be safer,” Steven Xiarhos, State Representative, Barnstable. “Less cars on the road. We could get to Boston quicker.”
Advocates say the heavy-duty rails for a train running from Middleboro to Bourne are already there. The Free Regional Bus Service would also open up to the entire Cape.
Advocates argue that expansion would be less expensive than the recent South Coast rail expansion and would reap similar benefits.
“We don’t just think about tourists,” Dylan Fernandes, State Senator, Plymouth and Barnstable. “We should also think about the three hundred thousand people that work here, that live here, and make sure that they have that access.”
Commuter rail expansion to Bourne has been studied for years, but never moved forward.
Governor Maura Healey said she has asked MBTA General Manager Phil Eng to take another look.
“I’ve been about expanding public transit around the state,” Healey said. “We opened up a couple commuter rail lines to Fall River and New Bedford. We’re opening up a new ferry service. We’re pushing East-West transit, and I’m all for expanding public transit around the state. We’re certainly going to take a look at that.”
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