All proposed options are being considered equally by the state agency, which is drafting an environmental impact statement for the project that is scheduled to be released late this year and will be followed by public comment.

The three options were recommended for further evaluation in the second half of the study process unfolding now. The state is tasked with the environmental impact statement, but the rail project is part of a larger federal initiative to link high-speed rail that already runs from Boston to Washington as far south as Jacksonville, Fla.

During the town hall, Brat asked how many of the people in attendance supported the options for the western bypass or the third track through Ashland. No hands were raised.

He then asked how many supported the no-build option. Most if not all hands from the more than 100 people who filled the meeting room were raised.

Ashland resident Kelly Jones cautioned against county infighting.

“Nobody I know wants the western route, and nobody I know wants it to go through the middle of Ashland. There’s like five small towns left in America; maybe we can keep one,” Jones said. “I just hope that we don’t in-fight, east and west and Ashland. None of us want it.”