Visit The Boston Globe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Comment on this Scroll to top of page Jon Chesto Globe Staff November 10, 2018 State Senator Eric Lesser didn’t face a Republican challenger Tuesday. But he still had a few reasons to sweat. After all, the fate of the Longmeadow Democrat’s beloved East-West rail project may well hinge on what happened in other states, where GOP-controlled House seats flipped to the Democrats. Good thing for Lesser that the Democrats won the House. US Representative Richard Neal of Springfield is now poised to chair the powerful House Ways and Means committee. Any spending bills, including that long-awaited infrastructure package, would go through him. Neal, as you might imagine, is a big advocate for connecting Springfield and Boston by rail. Advertisement Neal isn’t the only one in line for a promotion. US Representative Jim McGovern will likely chair the House Rules committee. Guess what? McGovern’s home city of Worcester would be a key link in any Springfield route. McGovern, too, is a fan of East-West rail. Get Talking Points in your inbox: An afternoon recap of the day’s most important business news, delivered weekdays. Thank you for signing up! Sign up for more newsletters here The wheels are in motion, but there’s a long track ahead. A spokesman says Neal talked up East-West rail in a conversation with Governor Charlie Baker on Wednesday, the day after the Republican governor won reelection. The Baker administration recently hired a consulting team, led by… [Read full story]
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