In Recognition of CapeFlyer

Floor Speech

Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and to celebrate the upcoming launch of the new CapeFlyer train route between Boston and Cape Cod.

The CapeFlyer train will make its first scheduled trip between Boston's South Station and Cape Cod on May 24, 2013. Created under a partnership between the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA), the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), the CapeFlyer will be the first scheduled passenger rail service to reach the Cape since 1996, as well as the first to connect Cape Cod to Boston since the last train departed Boston's South Station at 5:34 p.m. on June 30, 1959. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day this summer, the train will run between Boston and the Cape every weekend, and will offer amenities to its passengers such as free Wi-Fi service, concessions, and bicycle storage. Customers will have their choice of disembarking at either the historic Buzzards Bay Train Station or Hyannis Transportation Center, with further options to connect to numerous other destinations throughout the Cape.

The introduction of the CapeFlyer train will enable even more Massachusetts residents and visitors to make the most of all that Cape Cod has to offer, from its idyllic beaches and outdoor activities to its fine dining and shopping centers. The availability of rail service as an alternate mode of transportation will allow summer tourism on Cape Cod to remain high while reducing traffic congestion, making travel throughout the Cape easier and lowering local carbon emissions. The benefits that the CapeFlyer will bring to the region are numerous and diverse, and I have no doubt that it will prove to be a popular method of reaching the Cape.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to recognize the CapeFlyer rail service upon its initial trip between Boston and Cape Cod, and I ask that my colleagues join me in welcoming this new rail line to the Massachusetts region.

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