FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 23, 2026

Media Contact:
Jonathan Ng
Communications Director
jonathan@edmarkey.org

BOSTON, Mass. – Two of Western Massachusetts's state senators published a MassLive op-ed Wednesday to deliver a blunt verdict on Seth Moulton’s approach to West-East passenger rail – the transformational project decades in the making for the region: Seth “misses the mark.”

State Sens. Adam Gómez (Hampden District) and Jake Oliveira (Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester District) – lawmakers who represent the communities the line will serve – didn't mince words. They contrasted a Congressman who “has never meaningfully engaged in the work required to make west-east rail a reality” with Senator Ed Markey, whom they praised as “a champion since day one.”

The op-ed lands after Moulton dismissed the Commonwealth's entire West-East rail plan and the nearly $157 million in federal funding behind it – telling the region during the Western Mass primary debate earlier this month that “no one is going to ride your train because it's too slow.”

Here’s what the Western Mass lawmakers said in their op-ed:

• “On west-east rail project, candidate Moulton misses the mark.”

• “Congressman Moulton's dismissal of our progress on west-east rail is deeply misguided, and reflects a misunderstanding of the project's history, our region and the technical and financial realities of such a monumental undertaking.”

• “When Moulton belittled west-east rail, he didn't just minimize Markey's efforts; he minimized the work of the countless committed advocates throughout Western Massachusetts who have worked tirelessly for decades to bring viable passenger rail to the region.”

• “Moulton's assertion that 'no one' will ride the train is also not supported by fact – MassDOT models anticipate hundreds of thousands of boardings per year once this service gets rolling.”

• “His proposal is backed by exactly zero dollars, would cost tens of billions more than the current west-east rail project and ignores technical limitations that we have long understood – further delaying and maybe even jeopardizing our chances of finally seeing west-east rail come to fruition.”

• “But Moulton wouldn't know any of that because, despite his rhetoric about the need for more passenger rail, he has never meaningfully engaged in the work required to make west-east rail a reality.”

• “By contrast, Markey has shown up as a champion since day one.”

• “By trivializing these meaningful steps our region is taking in partnership with Markey, Moulton exposed himself to be transfixed with his own ambitions for tomorrow, without much interest in lending a hand to build the foundation today.”

• “As Markey often says, a vision without funding is a hallucination. So, while Moulton dreams about his imaginary train, we look forward to continuing to work together with Markey to keep west-east rail on track.”

The first trains are on track to start rolling in 2030, thanks in part to nearly $157 million in federal funding secured with Senator Markey’s support. 

Senator Markey fought to include $66 billion in guaranteed funding for rail programs in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – the very funds now making west-east rail a reality – and he leads the Senate's most ambitious passenger rail bill, the All Aboard Act, which would invest more than $200 billion in high-speed rail across the country.

###