EAST LONGMEADOW – Since state Sen. Eric Lesser has begun advocating for studying the possibility of high speed east-west rail, his arguments have gained steam – and support.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is in the process of finishing a comprehensive report about the increased rail service that would provide a passenger rail link between Pittsfield, Springfield and Boston.

 In an interview with Reminder Publishing, Lesser admitted, “There are a lot of unknowns.”

The report has been delayed, which Lesser said concerns him. It is expected to be released in April.

“This is huge year,” Lesser said of the subject of rail travel.

The purpose of the report, he explained, is to determined the cost of the six different options that have been presented, as well as the ridership potential and economic impact.

What has changed is at first, the idea of east-west passenger rail was seen as something that would have an impact on the four western counties.

“A series of things happened in eastern Massachusetts that changed the orientation,” Lesser said.

He noted the report on traffic congestion in the greater Boston area called to the attention of legislators and the public that automotive traffic has become so heavy that people have considered leaving the Commonwealth because of it.

Couple that with an increase in real estate values in that part of the state and employers are worried the hot economy there might cool down because of the cost and quality of life, Lesser added.

He said the traffic in Boston has been described as “the worst traffic in the country.”

The result has been the Boston City Council has endorsed the idea of high-speed passenger rail, as well as the chamber of commerce there. The Boston Globe has started covering the issue, Lesser said.  

People have begun to see the project “helps both sides of the state.” Giving people a way to use mass transit to live in another part of the state while working in the Boston area provides an “escape valve” for the traffic congestion.

“It is a huge game changer,” he added. “It is now essential to the health and well-being of the entire Commonwealth.”

He urged people who are interested in the project to express their opinions about it.

There have been many media reports concerning the cost and status of the Massachusetts Bay transit Authority (MBTA) and reports about an additional gas tax to pay for improvements. Lesser said he has “major concerns” about such an increase.

“It is highly regressive,” he said.

He questioned how it would benefit the citizens of Western Massachusetts, most of whom must use automobiles as opposed to mass transit options.

“It is basically punishing people with no other option,” he said.

Lesser said he would not support such an increase and explained that the rural areas of the Commonwealth have been the slowest to grow in the new economy.

“Why punish people living in the part of the state that has seen the least growth?” he asked.