PEABODY — A more than $10 billion transportation infrastructure bill passed by the State Senate on Friday would allow the city to create a pilot program to establish a trolley from downtown to the Salem Commuter Rail station.
Legislators set aside $2 million for the shuttle, inching the long-discussed project closer to reality. In 2018, a $50,000 state-funded feasibility study was conducted on the possibility of establishing a shuttle program between the communities, which found the project might cost up to $35 million to build.
“Proud to work with my Senate colleagues to authorize bond funding to improve our Commonwealth’s transportation infrastructure,” said Sen. Joan B. Lovely (D-Salem). “I am grateful that this bill included funding for several transportation projects across the 2nd Essex District.”
After passage by the Senate, the bill now moves to a conference committee, which will seek to reconcile the differences between the Senate bill and the House bill before sending a final version to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk.
With the funding yet to be solidified, plans for how the shuttle would be implemented remain vague. Lovely, in a statement, said the pilot program would use existing rails between Peabody Square and the Salem Depot.
“Building on years of work between state and local leaders, on July 14th the Massachusetts State Senate passed a $10.84 billion transportation bond bill that includes a $2 million bond authorization for the Peabody Trolley pilot program,” she said in the statement. “A community of 52,000 residents, Peabody is the largest city inside the Route 495 belt that is not connected to the MBTA commuter rail or the rapid transit network.”
Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. did not immediately return a request for comment sent Monday evening.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected].
