HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1708        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3037

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

John J. Mahoney and Thomas M. McGee

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to reuse surplus rail assets.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

John J. Mahoney

13th Worcester

1/15/2015

Thomas M. McGee

Third Essex

1/15/2015

James J. O'Day

14th Worcester

12/12/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1708        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3037

By Representative Mahoney of Worcester and Senator McGee, a joint petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3037) of John J. Mahoney, Thomas M. McGee and James J. O’Day for legislation to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to establish a system to reuse surplus rail assets.  Transportation.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

 

An Act to reuse surplus rail assets.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 161C of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 7 the following section: --

Section 8.

It being in the public interest to utilize the surplus, discontinued rail assets of the Commonwealth  in ways that upgrade the in-state freight rail network, foster the safe  transport of goods and materials by in-state freight railroads, and preserve and enhance the strength of the Massachusetts economy, the Secretary of the department of transportation, notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law or rule or regulation to the contrary,  is hereby authorized to offer and convey surplus rail and other track material, surplus rail-related equipment, such as signals, and surplus railroad bridge materials to the freight railroads operating on tracks to which they have rights located within the Commonwealth and to the freight railroads operating on in-state tracks owned by the Commonwealth.  Working in concert with the Massachusetts Railroad Association, the department shall design and implement a fair, reasonable and orderly system to distribute the surplus assets; further, the department shall have the authority to change that system, as needed, in order to improve it in any way consistent with the objectives of the re-use program. The assets may only be conveyed to a railroad which has demonstrated an impending need for the assets at a specific in-state location. The Secretary shall cause to be created and published periodically a list of surplus rail assets, which may be made available through the department, and/or from department projects and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority projects, to the above-described freight railroad companies operating within the Commonwealth.