Berkshire Benchmarks Releases State of the County Update

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Benchmarks data team recently released a State of the County Update for 2023. 
 
This brief report builds on the Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year. The berkshirebenchmarks.org website has also been updated to reflect the most current available data. 
 
The purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges.
 
The 2022 Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County report provided a comprehensive overview of our region's performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.  
 
In the future, the Berkshire Benchmarks team will continue to monitor these and other indicators to aid with the regional understanding of changes in these sectors and whether the work happening throughout the region is having the intended impact. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks is a collaborative initiative managed through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC). Our sources are publicly available data, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, various Massachusetts data sets, and periodic surveys of Berkshire County residents. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks aims to work with the community to understand priorities and help inform the region on how we are doing and if we are improving. Berkshire Benchmarks enhances the region's access to quality data and analysis. 

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Lt. Gov. Driscoll, State Officials Break Ground on Pittsfield Rail Improvements

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— State officials ceremoniously broke ground on rail infrastructure improvements as the train passed on Thursday. 

They also celebrated the now permanent Berkshire Flyer and strides towards a passenger train connecting western, central, and eastern Massachusetts. 

Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said everyone benefits when there are more ways to get around, particularly on rail. 

"And because work like this isn't just about train service. We know it's going to help support our local businesses and bring families and loved ones together for the holidays and support our tourism industry. Certainly, strengthening the connections between Massachusetts and Berkshire County, from Berkshire all the way to the Cape," she said at the CSX Pittsfield Yard on East Street. 

"This is the before. I can't wait to see the after. And with continued investments and partnership, we're going to make that happen."

Massachusetts Department of Transportation Rail and Transit Administrator Meredith Slesinger explained that the groundbreaking marks an important milestone for improving existing services, but it's also a "down payment on the future West East Rail."

Several years ago, the state worked with CSX to establish a framework for piloting the Berkshire Flyer service seasonally on weekends between Pittsfield, Albany, and New York City. As part of that negotiation, a long-term agreement would depend on MassDOT contributing to infrastructure improvements to build corridor capacity and reduce potential for rail congestion. 

After assessing the service’s performance and partnering with CSX to identify needed infrastructure investments to enable a permanent service, two projects were identified: 

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