Poll: Rail Line Through Medfield?

At Tuesday's meeting, the Medfield Board of Selectmen discussed the possibility of a train commute line running through town after receiving a letter from a Worcester law firm "suggesting there should be a rail line from Worcester to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, which would run through Medfield," according to Medfield Patch reporter Theresa Knapp.

Here's what Town Administrator Michael Sullivan said about the proposal at Tuesday's meeting, as reported by Knapp. 

“It calls for a large number of trains to go through Medfield on the way from Worcester to Foxborough; I think it was something like 20 trains a day” at peak times, Sullivan said. He added the two or three trains that currently travel through town on a daily basis already have a significant negative impact on traffic.

The proposal, according to Knapp, was originally meant as a way to promote economic development in the Interstate 495 corridor. Knapp said the selectmen will investigate this possibility further but did not see how this proposal would have a positive affect on the town.

Selectmen chair, Osler Peterson and selectman Ann Thompson said they did not see how it would improve Medfield’s economy, according to Knapp and Sullivan noted officials from the towns of Walpole and Norfolk are "very concerned about the project" because proposed parking lots would be in their towns.

Medfield Patch reader Errin Chapin voiced a different opinion in the comments section of Knapp's article: "."

Here's what Chapin said:

"[If] a train ran to Gillette [Stadium] from Medfield, I think it would be helpful to the many townspeople who currently attend sporting events at Gillette," Chapin said. "Also helpful to the non-drivers who would like to go shop there. What a great reduction in commuter time and greenhouse effects. We all knew that the train lines were in place for a reason. How naive to think that the railways would not be used."

So Medfield, we want to know …

Today’s question: Are you in favor of a Worcester to Foxborough rail line that would run through Medfield?