Massachusetts. The Downeaster service from Maine and New Hampshire was assumed to stop at North Station only, with a direct connection to more southerly service at Anderson RTC rather than Boston. Thus, some operations would continue above ground at North Station and South Station, and all track and facilities would remain in place. The tunnels would not be equipped to handle diesel locomotives, which may not be suited to the planned steep grades and closely spaced stops. That would require the MBTA to buy and run locomotives equipped for electric operation. Route map The map below depicts one of the most extensive proposals made to date. The 2018 feasibility study options do not include a link to the Old Colony and Greenbush lines. Only the four-track option includes a link to the Fairmont Line and a Central station. The surface North Station would be eliminated in two of the options and might not be kept in the other two. Status In May 2006, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts withdrew its sponsorship of the project due to its high capital cost (projected at several billion dollars, with wide variations depending on which option is chosen). Without matching local funds, the project was ineligible for federal funding, and was no longer listed as an approved project in state and Boston MPO capital plans. The April 2007 document Journey to 2030: Transportation Plan of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization said "the MPO feels that a study of the right-of-way requirements should be conducted for preservation of that right-of-way so as to not preclude this project's going forward in the future." In December 2007, the Federal Railroad Administration was interested in funding this project if the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation was interested in sponsoring it. In August 2009, the project was brought back into the spotlight as a component of the New England transportation plan, a coordinated effort by the six New England states to improve rail transportation infrastructure by competing for the $8 billion allocated for high-speed rail in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In December 2011, former Governor Michael S. Dukakis reiterated his long-term support for rail service, saying he had been trying to convince the current Massachusetts administration "to get serious about building a rail link" rather than expand South Station. In January 2014, Dukakis said he would prefer to have the North–South Rail Link named after