{"id":13519,"date":"2013-02-26T07:30:14","date_gmt":"2013-02-26T12:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/?p=13519"},"modified":"2013-03-25T11:42:59","modified_gmt":"2013-03-25T15:42:59","slug":"a-new-push-for-commuter-rail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2013\/02\/26\/a-new-push-for-commuter-rail\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Push For Commuter Rail"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_13532\"  class=\"wp-caption module image center\" style=\"max-width: 576px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"The Governor and Executive Council have agreed to study the feasibility of rail transportation.  \" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/4111129124_cdd2508f02_z.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-13532\" title=\"Big Lake\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/4111129124_cdd2508f02_z.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"576\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/4111129124_cdd2508f02_z.jpg 640w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/4111129124_cdd2508f02_z-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/4111129124_cdd2508f02_z-620x413.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Jerry Huddleston \/ Flickr Creative Commons<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Governor and Executive Council have agreed to study the feasibility of rail transportation.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em><strong>This post was written by contributor Sheryl Rich-Kern<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Despite concern from opponents about costs, supporters of bringing commuter rail back to the Granite State are determined to keep momentum on track.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time in decades, state lawmakers are looking to restore commuter rail by extending existing rail lines from Lowell, Massachusetts, to Nashua, Manchester and Concord.<\/p>\n<p>And with her city being the first stop over the border, Nashua\u2019s Mayor Donnalee Lozeau is leading efforts to make rail a reality.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the first things businesses ask me at Exit 1 in the technology park [off of Route 3 at the MA\/NH\u00a0border] is when is the train going to get here,\u201d says Nashua Mayor Lozeau.<\/p>\n<p>City officials have been asking that same question for decades.\u00a0 And Nashua-based retail and commercial business are confident commuter rail will spur economic development and reduce highway congestion.<\/p>\n<p>On Feb. 6, the Executive Council and Governor Maggie Hassan <a title=\"Executive Council approves $3.6 million rail study\" href=\"http:\/\/www.unionleader.com\/article\/20130206\/NEWS06\/130209387\" target=\"_blank\">approved a $3.9 million feasibility study<\/a> which will look at the costs and benefits of what\u2019s officially called the \u201c<a title=\"NH Capitol Corridor\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nhbti.org\/nhcapitolcorridor.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Capitol Corridor<\/a>\u201d project.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"related-content alignright\"><h4 class=\"related-header\">Related<\/h4><div class=\"links\"><h5>Posts<\/h5><ul><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2011\/12\/01\/q-and-a-states-new-transportation-commissioner-battles-budget-cuts\/\">Q&amp;A: State&#8217;s New Transportation Commissioner Battles Budget Cuts<\/a><\/li><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/09\/28\/nh-disadvantage\/\">N.H.&#8217;s Productivity Weakening As Neighboring Economies Grow<\/a><\/li><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/12\/07\/n-h-entering-an-uncertain-time-with-withering-economic-advantage\/\">N.H. Entering An &#8220;Uncertain Time&#8221; With &#8220;Withering&#8221; Economic Advantage<\/a><\/li><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/03\/15\/report-nh-barely-passes-on-government-spending-transparency\/\">Report: NH Barely Passes On Government Spending Transparency<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"topics\"><h5>Topics<\/h5><p class=\"topic\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2011\/07\/2256381409_fcc104ffdd1-60x60.jpg\" height=\"60\" width=\"60\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/topic\/merrimack-valley\/\">What You Need To Know About The Merrimack Valley<\/a><\/p><p class=\"topic\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2011\/08\/5320506554_a9ebc39f23-60x60.jpg\" height=\"60\" width=\"60\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/topic\/infrastructure\/\">The Essential Guide To New Hampshire Infrastructure<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>But critics question whether Nashua or the state could ever recover the tens of millions of taxpayer dollars it would need to update the rail beds \u2014 especially when so many other services, such as healthcare, public safety and education, are battling for the same slice of the state budget.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, when the Governor\u2019s Executive Council <a title=\"Executive Council rejects $3.2 million for rail study plan \" href=\"http:\/\/www.nashuatelegraph.com\/newsstatenewengland\/952667-227\/executive-council-rejects-3.2-million-for-rail.html\" target=\"_blank\">rejected $4.2 million in federal and state grants<\/a> for a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nh.gov\/dot\/programs\/nhrta\/\" target=\"_blank\">New Hampshire Rail Transit Authority<\/a> (NHRTA) study, Lozeau met with federal officials to discuss whether Nashua could step in as the grant\u2019s intermediary.<\/p>\n<p>Lozeau says she no longer needs to pursue that option now that the study is moving forward.<\/p>\n<p>The newly-elected Democratic governor recently <a title=\"Nashua Mayor, Picked For Gov.-Elect Hassan\u2019s Transportation Transition Team, Shares Commuter Rail Goal \" href=\"http:\/\/www.nashuatelegraph.com\/news\/986689-469\/story.html\" target=\"_blank\">appointed Lozeau<\/a>, a Republican, to a transportation transition team that will reach out to business leaders and legislators to prioritize the state\u2019s infrastructure needs.<\/p>\n<p>While Lozeau can\u2019t predict the outcome of the rail study, she insists that it\u2019s time \u201cwe get the final answers to the questions from the study. That way we\u2019ll know for certain the costs and how to manage it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>SKEPTICS CAST PALL OVER RAIL OPTIMISM<\/h3>\n<p>Not everyone agrees New Hampshire has the coffers and customers to pay for commuter rail.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13560\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 218px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"Executive Councilor Chris Sununu argues that bringing rail transportation to New Hampshire would be a &quot;boondoggle.&quot;\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/5333163594_1066e4e178.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13560\" title=\"Chris Sununu At The Governor's Inauguration 2011\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/5333163594_1066e4e178-218x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"218\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/5333163594_1066e4e178-218x300.jpg 218w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/5333163594_1066e4e178.jpg 364w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 218px) 100vw, 218px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">NHPR<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Executive Councilor Chris Sununu argues that bringing rail transportation to New Hampshire would be a &quot;boondoggle.&quot;<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Executive Councilor Chris Sununu (R-Newfields) says, \u201cWe just don\u2019t have a lot of money in the till right now.\u201d Sununu says that when it comes to investing in transportation infrastructure, the state should focus on the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to finish widening I-93, the primary commercial corridor of the state. \u201cEven in good times,\u201d says Sununu, \u201cthis is still a bad idea.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sununu was the only councilor out of five to vote against the $3.9 million feasibility study. This is \u201ccrazy money,\u201d says Sununu. He also questions why New Hampshire is analyzing a rail project that continues all the way up to Concord, and that when <a href=\"http:\/\/www.snhpc.org\/pdf\/NHCCorridorOverview.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">last reviewed<\/a> in 2009, totaled $300 million in capital expenditures.<\/p>\n<p>Sununu and other critics point out that unlike highways, trains lean on hefty subsidies. When you factor in the state\u2019s collection of tolls, registrations and gas taxes, \u201chighways pay for themselves,\u201d he says. \u201cA train does not.\u201d\u00a0 State and federal funds make up between $7 to $8 million of the annual operating costs of <a title=\"Amtrak Downeaster\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amtrakdowneaster.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Amtrak\u2019s Downeaster<\/a>. Ticket sales and other revenues make up the difference.<\/p>\n<p>Sununu, the self-described \u201clone bastion of fiscal conservatism\u201d on the Executive Council, says he and other former councilors, have suggested taking \u201cbaby steps\u201d that start with the high-density border community of Nashua.<\/p>\n<p>This is hardly a new concept. Since the 1980s, Nashua produced numerous feasibility studies for a Nashua-Lowell extension, but the hypothetical reports never generated any construction projects.<\/p>\n<h3>NEW HAMPSHIRE&#8211;THE MISSING LINK IN NORTHEAST RAIL?<\/h3>\n<p>Nashua Mayor Lozeau says that New Hampshire is one of the only states in the Northeast that doesn\u2019t have a viable rail system. \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t become that doughnut hole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Charlie Arlinghaus, president of the\u00a0<a title=\"The Josiah Bartlett Center For Public Policy\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jbartlett.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy<\/a>, says that although New Hampshire doesn\u2019t have commuter rail, \u201cwe also don\u2019t have a large city.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"module pull-quote left half\">\u201cWith or without the Capitol Corridor, we do feel that in the near to mid-term future, we will get rail to Nashua.\u201d<em>&#8211;Christopher Williams, CEO Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce<\/em> <\/div>For example, in the Northeast, Boston\u2019s <a title=\"Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mbta.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">MBTA<\/a> serves Rhode Island; and <a title=\"MTA\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mta.info\/\" target=\"_blank\">Metro New York<\/a> travels up to Connecticut. And while Maine has Amtrak\u2019s Downeaster with stops in Durham, Dover and Exeter, it provides intercity passenger rail as opposed to regional commuter rail. Amtrak also runs through Vermont (it tried commuter rail in 2002, but the \u201cChamplain Flyer\u201d <a title=\"Legislature to end Champlain Flyer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.vpr.net\/news_detail\/68464\/legislature-to-end-champlain-flyer\/\" target=\"_blank\">failed after nine months<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not that much of an outlier,\u201d says Arlinghaus. \u201cWe\u2019re very similar to the two states on either side of us, which have similar demographic profiles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Peter Griffin, who heads the <a title=\"New Hampshire Railroad Revitalization Association\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nhrra.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">New Hampshire Railroad Revitalization Association<\/a>, argues that New Hampshire demographics are shifting. Today, the state is more urban, particularly in the southern tier. He cites the current success of the <a title=\"Boston Express\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bostonexpressbus.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Boston Express<\/a> bus, which operates two lines: one is along the Interstate 93 corridor from Manchester through Londonderry and Salem; the other, from the Route3\/Everett Turnpike from Manchester with stops in Nashua and Tyngsboro, Massachusetts. In 2012, the state\u2019s <a title=\"New Hampshire Department Of Transportation\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nh.gov\/dot\/\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Transportation<\/a> reported an annual ridership of 546,837.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the Boston-to-Maine Downeaster increased its ridership by more than 4 percent in its last fiscal year, totaling 541,000 passengers, with about a fifth boarding from New Hampshire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat kills the old mindset that people will not get out of their cars, will not take public transportation and that New Hampshire is too rural,\u201d says Griffin.<\/p>\n<h3>NASHUA CREATES A FOUNDATION FOR RAIL<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nashuarpc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Nashua Regional Planning Commission<\/a> (NRPC) has been assessing the economic, environmental and engineering impacts of commuter rail since the 1980s. In 1981, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the former New Hampshire Transportation Authority and the Boston and Maine Railroad carried passengers from Boston to its own capital in Concord, with drop-offs and departures in Nashua and Manchester.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13553\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 300px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"Governor Maggie Hassan supports studying the feasibility of commuter rail in New Hampshire.\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/7979906451_053cb9a1df.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13553\" title=\"Maggie Hassan\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/7979906451_053cb9a1df-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/7979906451_053cb9a1df-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/7979906451_053cb9a1df.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Marc Nozell \/ For NHPR<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Governor Maggie Hassan supports studying the feasibility of commuter rail in New Hampshire.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>After less than a year, that experiment failed, and any hopes of a commuter train disappeared from the horizon. Yet the goal to restore service from its heyday of the 1960s isn\u2019t fading from the NRPC\u2019s vision.<\/p>\n<p>For the city of Nashua, \u201cit\u2019s all about economic development,\u201d says Christopher Williams, CEO of the <a title=\"Greater Nashua Chamber Of Commerce\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nashuachamber.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce<\/a>. He says some of the largest employers in New Hampshire \u2014 two major hospitals, <a title=\"Benchmark Electronics\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bench.com\/Pages\/Welcome.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Benchmark Electronics<\/a>, <a title=\"BAE Systems\" href=\"http:\/\/www.baesystems.com\/home\" target=\"_blank\">BAE<\/a>, <a title=\"Fidelity\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fidelity.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Fidelity<\/a>\u2014 reside in the Nashua area, and the state could bring even more companies to the region. \u201cBut those companies want to know there\u2019s a solid infrastructure. They want to know there is solid public transit for their employees to be able to take jobs in the Nashua area.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"module pull-quote left half\">\u201cEven in good times, this is still a bad idea.\u201d&#8211;Chris Sununu, Executive Councilor<\/div> Amidst a <a title=\"New Hampshire\u2019s Silver Tsunami: Aging And The Health Care System\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nhpolicy.org\/reports\/aging_and_the_healthcare_system_final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">graying state<\/a>, New Hampshire is <a title=\"What Stay, Work, Play Is All About\" href=\"http:\/\/stayworkplay.org\/about-us\/what-swp-all-about\" target=\"_blank\">campaigning to retain its young people<\/a>, half of whom move to another state after graduating college. Nashua Mayor Lozeau explains that to woo the under-30 workforce, businesses need to accommodate a generation that no longer wants to rely on gas-guzzling autos. She says that population wants a mobile lifestyle, and is drawn to affordable, urban locales that offer an ease of getting from place to place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a high concentration of engineers per capita,\u201d says Lozeau, and business owners are \u201cinterested in having the ability to move people in between multiple locations and being able to attract workers both from Nashua and from Burlington to Nashua.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNashua is laying the groundwork for rail to eventually make it to our city,\u201d says Williams. \u201cWith or without the Capitol Corridor, we do feel that in the near to mid-term future, we will get rail to Nashua.\u201d Williams foresees the city might share a rail station with Tyngsboro, right over the Massachusetts border, or \u201cin a perfect world,\u201d a Nashua downtown stop with several more on up to Concord.<\/p>\n<p>Although the future of rail is undecided, Nashua is taking steps to construct potential rail stations, which it envisions as multi-modal transit systems for cars, as well as trains, buses and shuttles.<\/p>\n<p>On February 13, the <a title=\"Nashua Board Of Aldermen\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nashuanh.gov\/CityGovernment\/BoardofAldermen\/tabid\/118\/Default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Nashua Board of Aldermen<\/a> approved spending $1.4 million to buy a parcel at 25 Crown Street, with $6.5 million in federal seed money from the <a title=\"Federal Highway Administration\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fhwa.dot.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\">Federal Highway Administration<\/a> and \u00a0$280,000 from the <a title=\"Tools &amp; Programs: Federal-Aid Fund Management Tools Federal-Aid Matching Strategies\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fhwa.dot.gov\/ipd\/finance\/tools_programs\/federal_aid\/matching_strategies\/toll_credits.htm\" target=\"_blank\">US Department of Transportation toll credits<\/a> to match the city\u2019s portion of the costs. The six-acre tract, assessed at $1.21 million, is near downtown and close to municipalities east of the river.<\/p>\n<h3>RAIL STATIONS CREATE ECONOMIC SPINOFFS<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Nashua\u2019s mayor and the Chamber of Commerce believe that transit-oriented developments are likely to spawn a cluster of other commercial and retail redevelopments, which in turn, generate disposable income back into the state.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13571\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 225px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"A key point of contention between rail supporters and critics: How much economic benefit would New Hampshire see from commuter rail?\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/114136278_0c82627403.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13571\" title=\"8:00 AM - Train arrives 4 minutes late\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/114136278_0c82627403-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/114136278_0c82627403-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/114136278_0c82627403.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">redjar \/ Flickr Creative Commons<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A key point of contention between rail supporters and critics: How much economic benefit would New Hampshire see from commuter rail?<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Councilor Sununu says that may be true when passengers fill the cars in both directions. Yet he doubts the state can rely on reverse commuters from Massachusetts up to Nashua. How would they get to an office in Merrimack, for example?\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a boondoggle. There\u2019s no two ways about it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps an intricate shuttle or intercity bus service does not exist today, but rail enthusiasts propagate a \u201cbuild-it-and-they-will-come\u201d mentality.<\/p>\n<p>In Nashua, Mayor Lozeau says a multi-modal system can develop in parallel with the growth of a commuter line. Nashua already has a robust rapid transit system, the \u201c<a title=\"Nashua Transit System\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gonashua.com\/NTSRoutesandSchedules\/tabid\/942\/Default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Citybus<\/a>,\u201d which in 2012 delivered 537,000 rides.<\/p>\n<p>Rail lines are not only about serving commuters going to work, says Griffin, of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nhrra.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Railroad Revitalization Association<\/a>. Trains drive the economic engines of tourism, too. Again, look at the Downeaster, he says. It recently extended its Boston to Portland service to Brunswick, with a station in Freeport, which like other outlet centers, emulates a 19<sup>th<\/sup> century town square. \u201cNew Hampshire could also do that,\u201d with the <a title=\"Merrimack Premium Outlets\" href=\"http:\/\/www.premiumoutlets.com\/outlets\/outlet.asp?id=101\" target=\"_blank\">Merrimack Premium Outlets<\/a>, which is a frequent stop on Boston-area luxury shop-and-stay travel packages.<\/p>\n<h3>BUT DOES RAIL MAKE FINANCIAL SENSE FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE?<\/h3>\n<p>In a <a href=\"www.snhpc.org\/pdf\/NHCCorridorOverview.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Capital Corridor Project Overview white paper<\/a> prepared for the NH Rail Authority, the NH Department of Transportation and the NRPC, a regional consulting company projected capital costs of $300 million.<\/p>\n<p>Proponents say these estimates are out of date, may be too high and don\u2019t reflect changing environmental concerns or the success of other modes of public transportation, such as the Boston Express bus and the Amtrak Downeaster.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13574\"  class=\"wp-caption module image left\" style=\"max-width: 225px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"The decision on whether the Capitol Corridor gets commuter rail could stretch well into the future.\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/2402300698_489c328fde.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13574\" title=\"080408 sunset rails\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/2402300698_489c328fde-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/2402300698_489c328fde-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2013\/02\/2402300698_489c328fde.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Dan4th Nicholas \/ Flickr Creative Commons<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The decision on whether the Capitol Corridor gets commuter rail could stretch well into the future.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Charlie Arlinghaus with the\u00a0Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, says the estimates from the NHRTA study definitely won\u2019t reveal an outlay the state can manage, especially in a year when other services, like education and healthcare, are siphoning from the same pot of money.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a title=\"Business And Industry Association Of New Hampshire\" href=\"http:\/\/www.biaofnh.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Business and Industry Association<\/a> forum on commuter rail last September, Arlinghaus said he would love for trains to be a useful transportation option \u2014 \u201cbut they\u2019re not.\u201d He went on to explain that from 2007 to 2011, the state increased its bonding from $600 to $900 million. That\u2019s a 45 percent increase, compared to only a three or four percent increase in the previous four-year cycles. \u201cWe don\u2019t have any excess bonding capacity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Based on the operating costs of the Downeaster from Maine, Arlinghaus says the state would need in the ballpark of $10 to $20 million to maintain a rail line that would end in Concord, so he questions why we\u2019re studying commuter rail project in the first place. \u201cThe chance of it [commuter rail to Concord] happening is zero,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Arlinghaus suggests two likely commuter rail scenarios: One is an extension of the Lowell line to Nashua; and the other, an extension of the Haverhill line to Plaistow. However, the latter is not a consideration in the Capitol Corridor project.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, the MBTA proposed paying the cost of a Haverhill extension, with <a title=\"Plaistow\/MBTA Commuter Rail Project\" href=\"http:\/\/www.plaistow.com\/Pages\/PlaistowNH_BOS\/FAQ_Sept_2010.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Plaistow footing the bill<\/a> for a maintenance facility.<\/p>\n<p>Arlinghaus adds that an abbreviated version \u2013 a Lowell to Nashua line \u2014 would result in operating costs of less than $1 million.<\/p>\n<p>Nashua may have the most to gain from the NHRTA commuter rail study, and it could conceivably launch a prototype of what a future New Hampshire Capitol Corridor project has to offer.<\/p>\n<p>Department of Transportation officials say the study will take about eighteen months to complete.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">After that, the hard data it generates is likely to spark even more controversy over whether commuter trains can help drive the New Hampshire economy and keep it rolling.<\/p>\n<div><em>Listen to <a href=\"http:\/\/nhpr.org\/post\/resurrecting-railroad-debate-granite-state\" target=\"_blank\">an hour-long program on rail in the Granite State<\/a> from the archives of NHPR&#8217;s The Exchange.<\/em><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Clarification note:\u00a0<\/strong> This article was edited to better reflect the annual operating costs of Amtrak&#8217;s Downeaster.<\/div>\n<div>\n<hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" width=\"33%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This post was written by contributor Sheryl Rich-Kern Despite concern from opponents about costs, supporters of bringing commuter rail back to the Granite State are determined to keep momentum on track. For the first time in decades, state lawmakers are looking to restore commuter rail by extending existing rail lines from Lowell, Massachusetts, to Nashua, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":13532,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[542],"tags":[482,500,85,483,511,481,484,543],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13519"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}