HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2742        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3392

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Steven Owens and Jennifer Balinsky Armini

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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 relative to setting deadlines to electrify the commuter rail.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2742        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3392

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act relative to setting deadlines to electrify the commuter rail.

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

SECTION 1.

Section 1 of Chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following definitions:-

“Zero-emission infrastructure” means electric multiple units,  electric battery chargers, trolleybus and railway catenary wire, and other equipment to support the operation of electric vehicles.

SECTION 2.

Chapter 21N is hereby amended by inserting after Section 7, the following sections:

Section 7½. To contribute to the Commonwealth’s greenhouse gas reduction targets, the Secretary, in consultation with the department of energy resources, department of transportation, department of environmental protection, department of public utilities, and intergovernmental coordinating council established by the Acts of 2022, chapter 179, section 81 shall enforce targets for public fleet electrification.

(a)The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and its commuter rail contractor shall operate a fully electric commuter rail system by December 31, 2035 and ensure sufficient zero-emission infrastructure is in place to accomplish said timeline.

SECTION 3.

Chapter 161A is hereby amended by inserting the following paragraphs in section 7 after the term “under Section 6C”:

(a) The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall implement electrification along all commuter rail lines by no later than December 31, 2035 and according to the below interim deadlines for each phase. Commuter rail lines serving environmental justice populations as defined in section 62 of chapter 30 of the General Laws shall be the first lines to electrify in Phase I.  In Phase I, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall operate electric trains on the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line from South Station to Readville Station, Newburyport/Rockport Line through Beverly Station and the entire Providence/Stoughton Line by December 31, 2024. Not later than November 1, 2023, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation should begin construction on the Fairmount corridor Newburyport/Rockport Line environmental justice corridor to support rail electrification. In Phase II, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall operate electric trains on the Framingham/Worcester Line by December 31, 2026. In Phase III, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall operate electric trains on the Middleborough/Lakeville Line by December 31, 2027. In Phase IV, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall operate electric trains on the remaining routes listed below and remaining sections of the Newburyport/Rockport Lines by December 31, 2035:

(1) South Coast

(2) Haverhill

(3) Lowell

(4) Fitchburg

(5) Franklin/Foxboro

(6) Kingston

(7) Greenbush

(8) Foxboro Event Service

(9) Needham

(10) Newburyport/ Rockport (beyond Beverly)

The MBTA governing board of directors shall monitor the progress of electrifying the commuter rail fleet in four phases.

SECTION 4.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall implement service frequency standards to ensure that rail electrification technology meets the goals of a regional rail system. By December 31, 2029, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall have the ability to operate service on the Fairmount Line, Newburyport/Rockport Line through Salem Station, and the Providence/Stoughton Line every 7.5 minutes in each direction.  By December 31, 2029, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall have the ability to operate service on the Newburyport/Rockport Line branches from Beverly Station to Newburyport/Rockport every 15-30 minutes in each direction. By December 31, 2029, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall have the ability to operate service on the Worcester Line through Framingham Station every 15 minutes in each direction.  By December 31, 2029, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall have the ability to operate service on the remaining Lines and portions of Lines not mentioned above every 30-60 minutes in each direction. By December 31, 2035, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall have the ability to operate service on the Fairmount Line, Newburyport/Rockport Line through Salem Station, the Providence/Stoughton Line, and the Worcester Line through Framingham Station every 5 minutes in each direction.  By December 31, 2029, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority shall have the ability to operate service on the remaining Lines and portions of Lines not mentioned above every 15 minutes in each direction. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Board of Directors shall monitor the progress of the implementation of the service frequency standards.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Massachusetts Department of Transportation shall submit applications, as appropriate, for federal funding to accomplish zero-emission infrastructure and electric commuter rail operation.