A study on expanding rail service between Springfield to Boston was left out of the final Massachusetts state budget. But lawmakers did OK another rail study, looking at seasonal service between Pittsfield and New York City.
Transportation officials in Massachusetts will look at the feasibility of weekend service between late May and October.
State Senator Adam Hinds, who represents the Berkshires, said this could demonstrate an appetite for regular year-round trains to and from New York City.
"There's a lot of folks who would say, 'You know, if I could have easy access to my job in New York City and access to high-speed internet, if we could fix those two things, then I would be based in the Berkshires and maybe work from a distance,'" Hinds said.
Hinds said the proposed route would go through New York State, bypassing Connecticut. He said this is because Connecticut officials have been focusing on getting commuter service between Springfield and New Haven off the ground.
The Berkshire rail study is due next March.
This report comes from the New England News Collaborative, eight public media companies coming together to tell the story of a changing region, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.