State chugs ahead with Palmer rail stop but spurned eatery owner questions motives
PALMER — MassDOT plans to produce, by the end of this year, a conceptual design for the long-sought Palmer passenger rail station, detailing not only a building but the economic development spurred by the expected $30 million return of passenger service to the "town of seven railroads."
But Blake Lamothe and his family — owners of the Steaming Tender Restaurant in a restored 103-year-old station dropped from consideration — are demanding answers from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and documents from the site selection process.
The conflict, brewing for years, has other rail boosters worried. MassDOT's "Compass Rail" plan for improved east-west and north-south passenger service calls for construction to break ground in two years and for trains to start arriving there in four years.
An artist's conception of a proposed passenger rail stop in Palmer. (Provided image)The Republican
"We don't want the process slowed down," said Ben Hood, of Citizens for a Palmer Rail Stop. "This timetable is about as good as it can be."
MassDOT updated Palmer residents this week at a presentation at Palmer High School, showing drawings of what the station — planned for a now vacant lot on the south side of the Palmer rail yard — might look like.
"The fact that this project continues to move forward is a huge win for Palmer," said Anne Miller, also of Citizens for a Palmer Rail Stop. "It's impossible to overstate how valuable it is for the whole region."
Boosters like Miller and Hood want the Palmer stop on the eventual Boston-Springfield west-east rail line to serve travelers from the eastern suburbs of Springfield, as well as Northampton, Amherst and Belchertown. The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority plans to link the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Palmer station by bus.
Massachusetts State Senate President Karen E. Spilka, right, talks with Blake Lamothe, owner of the Steaming Tender Restaurant at the old train station in Palmer in 2023. (Don Treeger / The Republican, File)
The proposed site is owned by wire brush manufacturer Sanderson MacLeod, next to the company's factory at 1199 South Main St.
This week, Lamothe's group, the Central Corridor Passenger Rail Coalition, sent a letter to MassDOT, seeking details about the site selection and documents surrounding the creation of a local advisory committee. It's not a lawsuit, said their attorney, Stephen L. Holstrom, a partner with Bulkley Richardson in Springfield.
But the matter could end up in court.
"My clients are hoping to avoid litigation," Holstrom said. "We want a fair and transparent process. There were mistakes made here."
Staff
MassDOT selected the proposed site in February, saying it is large enough, offers the right track configurations and can be built economically.
The Steaming Tender is too close to the "Diamond," or junction of the west-east line and a north-south line.
Lamothe said getting the station close to that junction — as it historically was — will make it easier to offer north-south passenger trains through Palmer, as well.
The MassDOT site is also too far away from the town's business district. There will not be spin-off economic development, Lamothe said.
"They are making a parking lot for Boston," he said.
Miller said the MassDOT site can be linked to the business district by sidewalk. And it's flat.
"The nice thing is, you would just park your car, walk across the platform and get on the train," she said. "The accessibility in it somewhat outweighs that is not downtown."
MassDOT will incorporate feedback from the presentation at the high school to develop a final conceptual design. This station concept will be evaluated through MassDOT's upcoming service development plan , funded by a $3.5 million Federal Railroad Administration grant for the Boston and Albany corridor.
MassDOT said it is reviewing the letter from Lamothe's team.
"This site was selected based on a robust analysis and public process, which determined it to be the best option for building the station quickly and affordably and fully meeting the needs of all riders and trains," MassDOT spokeswoman Amelia Aubourg said in a written statement. "We are focused on moving forward with community input to deliver this station, which is essential for the success of west-east rail."
Stories by Jim Kinney
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