Danny Jin is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle CSX Corp., the owner of tracks on the proposed Berkshire Flyer route in Berkshire County, Mass., has agreed to allow Amtrak to operate New York City-to-Pittsfield passenger service this summer. CSX will also meet six other conditions that Amtrak requested as part of the company’s proposed acquisition of Pan Am Railways, which co-owns the Hoosac Tunnel. The railroad agreed to the conditions in a January 12 filing with the federal Surface Transportation Board, a day before the board began a hearing for the transaction. Amtrak previously said it would oppose the deal if CSX did not agree to its conditions. State Sen. Adam Hinds called the agreement an exciting development, adding that the Berkshire Flyer is “ready to start” in the summer and will play a part in the regional passenger rail resurgence that lawmakers are looking for. Hinds said he previously was concerned over CSX’s “lack of cooperation” in passenger rail discussions, but he now supports the deal. Passenger rail service between Berkshire County and New York City could begin this summer. Amtrak already runs daily passenger service between the Albany-Rensselaer Station and New York’s Penn Station. The Berkshire Flyer adds Friday and Sunday continuations between Albany-Rensselaer and Pittsfield’s Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center. While the 2022 pilot plans to bring summer tourists for weekend trips, Hinds has said he would like to see the project evolve into daily and year-round service. Read the full story in The Berkshire Eagle.