Yeah, the entire state has seen quite a bit of appreciation in the past five years. Even out there. I have most of my family in that area and it's tough for the younger generation to find anything reasonably affordable without breaking the bank.

I wouldn't expect a huge influx of people into Springfield or Palmer (where the two major stops would be) for commuting opportunities into Boston unless it can get them there in a half hour or less. There will be some but not many.

I have seen something else happening though - a lot of Boston based companies have opened up office space in Worcester, which allows them to tap into people that live in the Springfield area. It seems that the companies are making themselves more accessible to more employees probably as a need - they are realizing that they don't pay enough for people to live in the Boston area.