City leaders are demanding the MBTA bring back the Worcester-to-Boston express service, ensure non-express trips aren’t slow and improve signals to speed up travel times.

These recommendations, along with several others, are part of a 30-page report released Monday by the city’s MBTA working group.

Established by Mayor Joseph Petty and City Manager Eric Batista in 2024, the group is tasked with advocating for the “preservation, expansion and improvement of rail service and transportation connections between Worcester and Boston,” the report reads.

At Union Station Monday morning, members of the group touted the report and urged the MBTA and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to adopt the recommendations.

“A reliable, high-speed connection between New England’s two largest cities is not just a Worcester issue,” Petty told a crowd at Union Station. “There’s a shared opportunity. When we bridge our cities, both our economies will thrive.”

The first demand from the group is the return of the “heart to hub” express service.

The MBTA launched the service in 2016 to allow commuters in Worcester and Boston to travel by train without stopping at the stations between Framingham and Worcester.

These services continued until September 2023, when the MBTA and Keolis, the company that operates the commuter rail system, announced they would add more stops to the “heart to hub” services. These additional stops increased ridership on the Framingham/Worcester Line but effectively eliminated the original express service.

The MBTA brought back an express service in 2024 but it does not arrive at South Station until 8:45 a.m., which is often too late for 9-5 workers, according to the report. Additionally, the train’s express service is from Worcester to Boston only. The group wants the MBTA to bring back the 55- to 60-minute express service while also ensuring non-express trips are capped at no more than 70 minutes.

“The train should be the easiest, more convenient option,” said Batista.

Modernizing outdated signals is also a priority for the group. The group report reads that when signals are upgraded, trains can run faster and on time.

Gov. Maura Healey’s administration has allocated $22 million for signalization modernization, with a targeted completion date at the end of the year, according to the report.

Another ask from the group regards the construction of West Station, a new station on the Framingham/ Worcester line at the former Beacon Park Yard in Allston. The group wants the station layout to have four tracks, which would retain two dedicated tracks for the Worcester mainline next to two separate West Station tracks. The two through-line tracks give expanded express capabilities, effectively allowing trains to bypass West Station.

Other recommendations the group made include supporting the intercity passenger rail service Compass Rail, develop a plan for the Worcester line to have new rolling stock and having reliable internet on trips.

The group will keep meeting following the report’s release, according to group chair Richard Burke, who told reporters there have been modest improvements in commuter rail service. He added that dialogue between the group, the MBTA and the state’s Department of Transportation has been positive.

Still, more action needs to be taken and the group will create a “report card” that measures whether goals are being met.

“I think we will use the action items as the basis for this report card,” Burke said. “As a group, we will establish a grading system.”

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