Letter: Advocate for Passenger Rail from North Adams to Boston

To the Editor:

As a North Adams city councilor, I, Andrew Fitch, feel obligated to inform your readers of a project which would reconnect the Berkshires with Boston and much of the northern portion of our commonwealth. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has concluded a study to examine the benefits and options associated with connecting a Northern Tier Passenger Train line between Boston and North Adams. I implore you and your readers to take this time to learn about and advocate for this exciting new project that could expand commerce and travel across Massachusetts.

On Feb. 9, 1875, the very first train passed through the completed Hoosac Tunnel. An engineering marvel at the time, the tunnel provided a direct route to Boston for passenger and freight trains alike. In 1910, the Hoosac was electrified to speed up traffic, allowing for an average of 70,000 train cars to travel through every month and North Adams and the Berkshires transformed into a notable hub of economic development for the state, curating a booming tourism sector while being a gateway into New York. Unfortunately, the last regularly scheduled passenger train from Boston to North Adams, The Minuteman, completed its route in 1958.

Led by Project Manager Mikaela Niles, MassDOT and its contractors have proposed six possible options after a two-year study. Each option outlines an estimated summary of building needs and operations, cost, location of stations, trip time, and job output. It is important to note that each choice builds on top of existing locomotive infrastructure vastly cutting the overall costs, regardless of the option. For comparison, the West-East Passenger Rail proposed to span from Pittsfield to Boston is estimated to cost about $4.6 billion which is about $1.5 billion more than the most expensive Northern Tier Rail estimates.

The implications of this passenger line would be felt throughout the state. With proper planning and community involvement, local and regional economies have the potential to reconnect with opportunities previously lost. This would include the increased diversification of the physical workforce, access to jobs throughout the state, and new avenues of tourism. Similarly, many aspects of the Northern Berkshires' economy and cultural centers would thrive. Massachusetts residents would have easier access to medical specialists, other transportation hubs such as Logan Airport, and many cultural beacons such as concerts, parades and sporting events.

Andrew Fitch
North Adams, Mass. 

Fitch is a North Adams City Councilor

North Adams Becomes a Purple Heart Community

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
05:16AM / Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Veterans Service Officer Kurtis Durocher, a Purple Heart recipient, tells his own story of how he was wounded in Iraq.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City leaders last week held a ceremony marking the city as a Purple Heart Community to honor local military service members wounded or killed in combat.

 

"This designation is much more than a sign that will stand at the entrances to our city," said Kurtis Durocher, Northern Berkshire veterans service officer at City Hall on Friday. "It is a lasting commitment and a promise to this community. We'll never forget the sacrifices made by those who are wounded or killed while serving our nation. It is a public declaration of the courage and sacrifices of combat wounded. Veterans will always have a place of honor here in North Adams."

 

As a Purple Heart Community, North Adams will place signs throughout the city acknowledging the designation. The city will also hold a ceremony every Aug. 7 on National Purple Heart Day.

 

During the inaugural ceremony, Durocher said he was asked by the Military Order of the Purple Heart to find a keynote speaker for the event, preferably a Purple Heart recipient. But he was unable to find someone willing to speak. With the date approaching, he decided to tell his own story.

 

"I don't like standing up and telling my own personal story ... But I realized, in my position as a VSO, I get so many ... children of veterans who will say, 'I didn't know anything about my father until after he passed because he just didn't talk about it,'" Durocher said. "... I have been that way until I've gotten into this position, and so, now, I try to tell my story as much as I can when it is brought to me."

 

Durocher served in the Army for 20 years and retired as a master sergeant. On Friday, he recalled a time early in his career while serving in the 82nd Airborne Division deploying to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. On Sept. 12, 2003, his squad was conducting a patrol on Route Irish in Baghdad. He was serving as a gunner on an LMTV when it was struck by a 155-millimeter artillery shell. He said the explosive had been hidden behind a guardrail and detonated using nothing more than a washing machine timer.

 

"In an instant, everything changed. The blast knocked me unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I instinctively was removing my helmet," he said. "Almost immediately my training took over. We had been taught repeatedly that attacks like this were often followed by a secondary attack or an ambush. I quickly put my helmet back on and began searching for my machine gun."