Sudbury Mass Central Rail Trail Gets $3M In Transportation Bill

SUDBURY, MA — A long-awaited transportation funding bill passed by the state Legislature contains funding to bring the Mass Central Rail Trail up to the Sudbury line, a project that has been caught in a legal battle for years.

The state House and Senate approved the $16.5 billion bill almost unanimously — just one state senator voted no — early Wednesday morning. The bill now heads to Gov. Charlie Baker's desk for his signature.

The bond bill contains millions in earmarks for towns and cities across the state, including $3 million "for the continuation of the rail trail from the town of Wayland to the town of Sudbury." One of the longest continuous portions of the Mass Central Rail Trail spans nearly five miles from Waltham west to the intersection of Route 20 and Andrew Avenue in Wayland.

Future plans call for the trail to cross Sudbury along a defunct stretch of MBTA rail corridor. The Sudbury portion of the trail is coupled with an Eversource project to bury transmission lines through town to connect to a power station in Hudson.

In 2017, Sudbury sued the MBTA, arguing the agency needed permission from the Legislature to allow Eversource to proceed with its transmission line project. The Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled against the town in that case in September.

But the project is still tied up in the courts. The town and the group Protect Sudbury have asked the SJC to review a December 2019 Energy Facilities Siting Board decision granting Eversource permission to proceed with the project.