A train service from New York City to the Berkshires moved one step closer to reality Friday.
The group of government, economic development and transportation officials from the region released a new study on the Berkshire Flyer, laying out what would need to happen to get a pilot of the service started in 2020.
The train service would run from Manhattan to Pittsfield on Friday afternoons, then back on Sunday evenings, but only from late June to October.
State Senator Adam Hinds of Pittsfield helped push the project forward. He said the train service could bring more tourist dollars into the Berkshires.
"We hope that this will start to capture the more than 500,000 households in Manahattan alone that do not have cars," Hinds said.
The report estimates the Berkshire Flyer pilot would cost about $350,000 in its first year. Hinds hopes to get the money from state and federal government plus private sources.
The service would run through Albany on existing Amtrak lines.
