Mass Central Rail Trail
data
BY THE NUMBERS
104
Number of miles from Boston to
Northampton
Number of miles open today
51
85±
Number of miles owned by a protecting agency
19±
Number of miles in unclear
ownership
An intrepid adventure traveler can still find traces of it in the wilderness. A 104 mile railroad line was shattered by a hurricane in 1938. The line once stretched from downtown Boston at North Station to Union Station in Northampton, Mass. Calvin Coolidge used to ride this train to the State House each day when he was the Governor right after WWI.
Now, over 80 years later, dedicated volunteers, local property owners, state government agencies and business partners in 25 communities are working to open it up as a linear park. Instead of coal-fired steam trains, there will be tourists and locals, bed & breakfast inns, cross-country skiers, bicyclists, hikers, joggers, and babies in baby carriages. READ THE REST.