Amtrak Service Begins in Greenfield, Northampton

The John W. Olver Transit Center has been waiting two years for Amtrak trains. Passenger service between Washington, D.C., and St. Albans, Vt., begins Dec. 29 with stops in Greenfield and Northampton.

GREENFIELD, Mass. — Amtrak will begin Amtrak Vermonter service to Greenfield and Northampton beginning Dec. 29. Tickets are now available for purchase.

The Vermonter will also add a stop in Holyoke later in 2015 when station work is complete. The added stops because of the reroute will replace service provided to the Amherst station, which will end on Dec. 28.

The restoration of train service to the Knowledge Corridor has been a goal of the state Department of Transportation and Gov. Deval Patrick's administration, which have been leading the effort to improve the Pan Am Southern tracks and shorten trip times within the commonwealth. Funding for the project was provided through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The John W. Olver Transit Center in Greenfield opened in 2012 in anticipation of the restoration of passenger train service and the hope that it will also be restored west through the Hoosac Tunnel to North Adams.

In preparation for the new service, Amtrak has been working with local authorities to raise rail safety awareness by meeting with community groups and schools. A variety of rail safety education tools are available from Operation Lifesaver, a rail safety education organization.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.