The Framingham section of the Cochituate Rail Trail (CRT) has been under development for the past two years and much has been accomplished. This multi-use trail will follow the abandoned Saxonville Branch rail line, and will extend 1 1/2 miles from Route 30 (near Home Depot) to the Sudbury River in Saxonville. The property is currently owned by two state agencies, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MTA).

In September 2001, the Town of Framingham created the Framingham CRT Committee to oversee the development of the trail. The Committee has hosted 12 workdays so far and the rail line has been cleared of brush and trash. Removing 30 years of tree growth and illegal dumping is quite an accomplishment, and we would like to thank everyone involved including the Town, the MTA, and over a hundred volunteers from all over the region.

Currently, the Town is seeking a long-term lease from the MBTA and the MTA before making further improvements to the trail and opening it to the public. The MTA and the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) have awarded grants to the Town for early trail development. A signalized crossing of Old Connecticut Path will be constructed and two small bridges over Cochituate Brook will be repaired. Once the trail has been opened, the Town will seek additional grants as well as private donations in order to make further improvements.

The lease negotiations have been under way for some time now and we are hoping to see progress in the near future. The section of trail owned by the MTA (from Route 30 to the MassPike) may open this fall. The MTA intends to grant the Town a narrow easement for trail use and sell off the remainder of the rail line. State representatives, Town representatives, and advocacy groups from MetroWest have asked the MTA to preserve this rail corridor for future transportation and recreation use, and transfer the entire property to the Town or to the DEM for no fee. So far, the MTA has been reluctant to do so.

We invite you to attend our Summer Clean Up on Saturday, August 23rd (see attached flier for details). The clean ups are a lot of fun, and it's a great opportunity to see the trail.

The Framingham Cochituate Rail Trail Committee is seeking volunteers who are interested in helping to create this outstanding multi-use trail. Meetings are normally held the third Monday of each month at 7:30pm in the Memorial Building, 150 Concord Street, Framingham. For more info, go to our home page.

To contact the Framingham CRT Committee, or to join our email list for news, updates, future clean up announcements, etc., send an email to: info@crtrail.org

Thank you,
The Framingham CRT Committee