HMMH led the study planning tasks for the Berkshire Flyer Study. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the potential for using a route through New York to provide seasonal, weekend-focused passenger rail service between Pittsfield, MA and New York City. The goal of the seasonal rail service is to improve the linkage between the regional economic engines of New York City and Berkshire County.
Specifically, the study looked to document the political, legal and logistical challenges of implementing direct seasonal service, while also identifying and evaluating the economic and cultural benefits of such a service. The study highlighted the challenges and benefits of various service attributes to identify a service and implementation strategy that would meet the goals or the region. The identified and evaluated potential routes, estimated capital and operating costs, and summarized key factors in the potential market demand for service.
HMMH developed and evaluated alternative service plans, potential market demand, and implementation assessments.