Amendment #1349 to H4400

Fairmount/Franklin Line Commuter Rail Commission

Representatives Dooley of Norfolk, Kafka of Stoughton, Rogers of Norwood and Carvalho of Boston move to amend the bill by adding the following section:

“SECTION XXXX.  (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be established a special commission to study the impacts of the Spring 2019 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Commuter Rail Pilot Program to Gillette Stadium on the Fairmount and Franklin commuter rail lines and to recommend mitigations needed as a result of said impacts. The commission shall be composed of 11 members: 2 members of the House of Representatives, 1 of whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House and 1 of whom shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the House; 2 members of the Senate, 1 of whom shall be appointed by the Senate President and 1 of whom shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; 1 currently elected or appointed official to represent the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester; 1 currently elected or appointed officials to represent the Town of Walpole; 1 member representing the Fairmount Indigo Transit Coalition; 1 member representing the Town of Walpole’s community at-large; 1 member representing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority; 1 member representing the Massachusetts Department of Transportation; and 1 member representing The Kraft Group

The scope of the commission shall include, but shall not be limited to, studying the impacts of the Gillette Stadium commuter rail pilot on the Franklin and Fairmount lines, the surrounding communities, and the riders of both commuter rail lines, including but not limited to the potential increases in delays, the potential increases in town; city; and state spending, the potential environmental and noise risks imposed, and the potential safety risks imposed. The committee shall also make recommendations for needed mitigations of said impacts, which may include changes in MBTA assessments for impacted communities, changes in existing schedules, soundproofing, safety upgrades to affected grade crossings and other related train crossings, imposition of train speed limits, construction of fencing and other safety measures, and changes in train idling procedures.

(b) The commission shall report the results of its investigation and its recommendations by filing a report with the Clerk of the Senate, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, the Joint Committee on Transportation, the Office of the Governor, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Fiscal and Management Control Board no later than 6 months after the first meeting of the commission is convened.

(c) The commission shall conduct its first meeting no later than 60 days after the effective date of this act.”