Returning
Commuter Rail
The restoration of a commuter rail service to New Hampshire primarily relies on a stretch of railroad track between Lowell, MA and Concord, NH known as the “Northern Route”. The New Hampshire Commuter Rail Advisory Committee, a committee formed by former Mayor Bernie Street of Nashua in January 2005, has been given the task of keeping the citizens of New Hampshire informed as to where the project currently stands.
Although the Advisory Committee would love to see commuter rail service return to New Hampshire by any means, the main focus is returning the service from Lowell to Nashua, Manchester, Concord and beyond!
Benefits of Project
There are many benefits to returning commuter rail service to New Hampshire. The easy access to a reliable commuter rail service would increase the values of properties throughout Southern New Hampshire.
Environmentally, a rail service would be great step in the right direction. A commuter train uses less passenger per mile BTU’s than cars, buses, trucks and aircraft. This makes passenger rail a great fuel efficient means of travel. A passenger train service will also reduce the amount of green house gasses released into the atmosphere by reducing the amount of cars on the roads. Being a viable alternative to driving a car to work, high way congestion can also be significantly reduced.
For residents of New Hampshire that commute to Boston for work or play, a rail service is a convenient way of doing so. Rather than driving to northern Massachusetts cities like Lowell to hop on the rail, or driving into Boston itself, citizens of the State of New Hampshire can drive to one of the proposed local stations. The convenience will increase the accessibility to the city Boston. On the other hand, it will also increase the accessibility to the great State of New Hampshire for residents of Massachusetts. As committee chairman Wayne Gagne said, “There are few negatives to this project. This is a win, win situation for all the communities and the state”.
What Needs to be Done
Luckily, the tracks and the route needed have already been laid out. Unfortunately, the tracks are dilapidated and are not suited for a speedy passenger service. The tracks from Lowell up through Manchester will need to be completely replaced. In addition, some double track will be installed. Construction will likely take place in phases, with service extending further into New Hampshire as each phase is completed.
For the service to work, operating agreements must be made between the State of New Hampshire, PanAm Railways, and the MBTA. These agreements will allow usage of the tracks owned by each entity. It also determines who operates and maintains the service.
Funding is needed to get the project started. The current estimates put the project cost at about $80 million. Federal funds have already been secured to cover 80% of that figure. New Hampshire must come up with the matching %20. The funds must be raised through state, local, and private venues. There are many ways of raising the money. For example, Nashua intends to implement a TIF (tax increment financing) district to pay for it’s portion of the project.
The citizens of New Hampshire must show they want the service to return in order to attain funding. Show your support by sending a letter to your local and state representatives expressing the need for the return of commuter rail service to New Hampshire. Head over to the “Get Involved” page to find out how and who to contact.