Mass Central Rail Trail Ride N2B Recap

The Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) is the longest developing rail trail in New England, joining 26 communities through shared-use paths. When completed, the trail will span 104 miles from Northampton to Boston.

Over 60 miles of the MCRT are now open, but there is still a great deal of work to be done to finish this critical trail. Towards this goal, a group of trail ambassadors came together for the inaugural “MCRT Ride N2B” to ride the Mass Central Rail Trail route from Northampton to Boston. The group included representatives from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the Conine Family Foundation, the Lawrence & Lillian Solomon Foundation, and the Helen & William Mazer Foundation.

Over three days, we traveled over 100 miles by bike, meeting with advocates and decision-makers to learn about the challenges and current gaps in the rail trail while enjoying the beauty of the completed trail sections.

 

Day 1: Northampton to Hardwick

On day one, we started at the 0.0 marker near the Northampton train station and continued over the iconic Connecticut River Bridge. The group thoroughly enjoyed the completed path between Northampton and Belchertown.

At the end of the completed section, we got off our bikes to hike the unimproved but protected section in Belchertown before road-riding to the New England Small Farm Institute (NESFI) for lunch. At NESFI, we met with Belchertown residents, Friends of Belchertown Greenway members, and town officials, who updated us on their current progress and challenges.

We stopped in Palmer to look at the site of a former railroad bridge to chat with a resident and trail supporter before riding on toward Ware.

In downtown Ware, we got to check out their relatively new bike lanes before heading to Grenville Park where we heard from local advocate Steven Hawk. Steven talked about how the accessible rail trail has given him freedom as a wheelchair user, by giving him access to a safe way to go shopping and connect with nature.

At dinner, we heard from Cynthia Henshaw of the East Quabbin Land Trust about the progress being made on the trail locally and how the EQLT is helping move the MCRT forward through land stewardship.

By the end of the day, we traveled thirty-eight miles from Northampton to Hardwick and several members of the group stayed in the Old Stone Church in Gilbertville.

Day 2: Hardwick to Hudson

On day two, we convened for breakfast at The Whistle Stop Restaurant, where we were joined by a few one-day riders, including MassBike Board Member George Lester, Nathan Lewis an Assistant Planner from the Central Massachusetts Planning Commission (CMRPC), and Caleb an MCRT supporter from Berlin.

We started our second day from the Old Stone Church in Hardwick and crossed over the historic Gilberville covered bridge. The section between Gilbertville and Barre was gorgeous, with crushed gravel trails and several scenic bridges. 

There is a trail gap in Barre, so we had to ride on some busy roads before getting to the Wachusett Greenways section. We met up with a Barre town official to learn more about their gaps before heading on to the Wachusett Greenways.

Norwottuck Network and MassBike Board Member, Liz Johnson, hosted a coffee stop in Holden that was much appreciated. By this point, it was starting to rain pretty significantly, and we were looking forward to our lunch stop. This section of the day included some quiet back roads that linked up the gorgeous Wachusett Greenways segments.

During lunch, Wachusett Greenways President, Colleen Abrams, provided context for their trail projects and the work they’ve done to connect the trail through Central Massachusetts. We were also joined by CMRPC’s Deputy Executive Director of Transportation, Sujatha Krishnan, and Director of Access and Mobility, Yahaira Graxirena. Advocates in Clinton decided it was best to cancel their planned stop due to the weather and the riders were glad to be able to dry off after a rainy afternoon.

At dinner, Doug Pizzi, Executive Director of Mass Parks for All discussed the work his organization is doing to support access to parks in Massachusetts, including linear parks like the Mass Central Rail Trail, and the benefits that the MCRT would provide in promoting park access to communities across the state.

On day two, we rode 35 miles total, cutting off just a few miles due to the weather. After the ride, a few of the participants met up with Frannie Hodge, President of the Clinton Greenway Conservation Trust, to hear about the section we skipped due to the weather and the unique challenges they’re facing in Clinton.

 

Day 3: Hudson to Boston

Since we were with DCR and MassDOT representatives, we were able to ride the currently not-yet-open Sudbury section of the trail. We were also joined by staff from VHB, who are working with Eversource on the bridge replacements in Sudbury.

During our stop at the intersection of the Mass Central Rail Trail and Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, known as “the diamond”, we learned that DCR has the funding to finish the Sudbury paving this fiscal year and it is now slated to be paved in Spring of 2025. 

At Russell’s Garden Center in Wayland, Senator Eldridge joined local trail enthusiasts to voice his support for the MCRT. During the stop, we picked up some additional day riders, including East Coast Greenway Alliance’s National Greenway Director and former MassBike Board Member, Allison Burson, who joined us for our final miles towards Boston.

We enjoyed lunch at Boston Kebab, which is located right on the Waltham section of the rail trail. Ben Bayes, a Norwottuck Network Board Member, provided us with an overview of the history of the Wayside Trail in Waltham.

After lunch, we continued to Belmont where we met with Holly Munson who discussed the challenges to completing the Belmont Community Path. The Belmont section will be one of the trickiest to complete due to the Fitchburg commuter rail line. Phase 1 of the trail is currently at 75% design and will include a tunnel under the MBTA tracks to connect to New Belmont Middle and High School.

There were a few bridge projects that we had to circumvent on the way into Boston, but the rest was smooth sailing on completed and popular paths. After a brief chat about the recent Somerville Community Path Extension, we made our way under the Zakiam bridge for our finish line photo. Then zipped back to Cambridge to celebrate at Lamplighter Brewing. By the end of day three, we had ridden 36 miles.

In total, we traveled more than 100 miles by bike over three days and had numerous invaluable conversations with MCRT proponents along the way. The cross-state journey built momentum, which advocates hope to use to get it finished as quickly as possible to provide economic, transportation, and recreational opportunities to communities along the corridor. 

You can view short view recaps of the MCRT Ride N2B on the MassBike YouTube page

 

Learn more about Finishing the Rail Trail

At the upcoming MassTrails Conference, there will be a special virtual kick-off session on Tuesday, October 22nd highlighting the Mass Central Rail. Cynthia Henshaw (East Quabbin Land Trust), Colleen Abrams (Wachusett Greenways), Phil Duffy (Town of Clinton), Glenn Pransky (Sudbury Rail Trail Advisory Committee), and Craig Della Penna (Norwottuck Network) will discuss their efforts to finish the MCRT.  Learn more and register for the MassTrails Conference at www.masstrailsconference.com


You can learn more about the Mass Central Rail Trail and the push to finish the trail at www.finishtherailtrail.org

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