BOSTON – A new survey on extending and improving passenger rail service in the Commonwealth indicates there is considerable support for east-west rail service that would link Springfield and Pittsfield to Boston.

The survey by MassInc was released on Sept. 26 and gauged the opinion of 1,430 Massachusetts registered voters.

According to the MassInc survey, “As might be expected, support is strongest for each expansion in the region that would benefit from it. In the Southeast, 53 percent strongly support south coast rail. Out West, an eye-popping 67 percent strongly support east-west rail to Springfield and Pittsfield.

The survey specifically mentioned one of the six options that have been developed for a potential east-west passenger rail service: a building a rail line that would follow the Massachusetts Turnpike. In response to the statement, “Extending rail service west along the Mass Pike to Springfield and Pittsfield” 40 percent of those questioned strongly support it while 36 percent “somewhat support” it.

In reaction to the survey findings, state Sen. Eric lesser, who has been a major proponent for east-west rail, said, “The overwhelming public support for a visionary expansion of our insufficient public transit system represents a mandate for all of us on Beacon Hill to finally take bold action and address the issue that is on the forefront of our constituents’ minds. We are in the midst of a transportation crisis and urgency is required. People can’t get to work; they can’t get home; they simply can’t move around. They are sick of it. We are out of excuses. It is time to act.”

The survey findings indicated that increased and affordable rail service would have advantages for economic development. “One potential solution is to boost residential and commercial development outside of Boston, spreading the places residents can live and work beyond Boston. ‘Transit-Oriented Development’ (TOD) areas would concentrate new housing, office space, dining and retail near rail stations. This would create new, more affordable housing, and the residents who occupy it would be near more frequent and reliable train service. Activating the areas near stations could also help generate demand for the new rail service. MassINC’s analysis found that the Gateway Cities studied could support 230,000 jobs and an equal number of residents. That’s one-quarter of the state’s projected population growth between now and 2035.”

In a related announcement, Lesser extended an invitation last week to the candidates for the 2020 Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate to come to Springfield and debate on east-west rail.

The current candidates include incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Joe Kennedy, attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan and business executive Steve Pemberton.

In his invitation, Lesser wrote “As you know, the vision of high-speed rail that connects both ends of our state has been under consideration for many years, and has the potential to transform our Commonwealth’s economy and create tens of thousands of jobs.”