The ad hoc 4 town Bay Colony Rail Trail group met yesterday with representatives from the MBTA. Turns out the MBTA has turned over to towns over two dozen old rail lines, and all the procedural glitches have been pretty much worked out by now.
The process of the towns obtaining the old Bay Colony Railroad right of way is easy and straightforward, with the exception that Bay Colony still holds the freight rights to the line and it needs to abandon the line, which it is willing to do, just not pay to do. Reports were that it will cost $10-15,000 in attorney fees to effect the abandonment.
Study committees are getting active in Dover and Medfield. Needham already has creation of the Bay Colony Rail Trail as a listed priority on its trails master plan.
Medfield02052's Blog 