Heather Bellow is reporting in The Berkshire Eagle the Berkshire Flyer Working Group, a group charged with brainstorming ideas for seasonal, weekend rail service from New York City to the Berkshires, will begin its work by gathering data to determine how many people might use the train and at what times. By the end of the year, the group hopes to have a few service patterns that could be priced out by Amtrak. Some officials believe that focusing on a New York route using CSX and Amtrak rail could make the service financially feasible. Officials support the addition of passenger train service because it would stimulate the county's fragile economy by bringing more people into the Berkshires for both tourism and work commutes. The working group includes local and state officials, Amtrak and other transit officials, as well as the Berkshire business community. The group has a March 1 deadline to present its research and a possible plan to the Legislature. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.