Holyoke on track to get Amtrak back by 2014

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) - Amtrak is on track to return rail service to Holyoke.

The rail service, known as the Knowledge Corridor Project , will restore Amtrak's inter-city passenger train service along the Connecticut River Rail Line. A $73 million federal stimulus grant is paying for the project.

Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse told 22News that the rail platform will give riders better service and shorter travel times.

“Just a couple of years ago, the city finished its multi-modal transportation center, and this will directly connect to that as well as have a loop and a roundabout for buses and taxis and vehicles to come down here and drop people off,” Morse said.

The Knowledge Corridor Project is on track to bring rail service to Northampton and Greenfield in 2014. Rail work for Holyoke train station is expected to begin this fall.