SECTION 1. Section 1 of chapter 161C of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding after the last sentence the following sentence:–

Furthermore, to carry out the purposes of this section, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shall preserve intact the right of way for the proposed North South Rail Link.  This right of way is extremely vulnerable to the impact of development and redevelopment around the existing rail tracks and terminals.  In addition, rail projects already in planning and construction phases will exceed the capacity of the South Station terminal. Preservation of the right of way for the North South Rail Link will assure that rail transportation can be enhanced or expanded in our region.

SECTION 2.  Chapter 161C, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after section 7 the following section:–

Section 8. This section requires the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through its executive office of transportation and construction, in consultation with the Massachusetts turnpike authority, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to perform a study to specifically identify and map the necessary right of way to allow for the construction of the proposed North South Rail Link connecting North Station to South Station.  This study must include particular reference to the Major Investment Study/Draft Environmental Impact Report (EOEA#10270), prepared under the aegis of the executive office of environmental affairs which was concluded on March 31, 2003.  A plan to preserve said right of way, once identified, shall be determined and implemented immediately.