Traditionally, when an economy developer spoke about "Access to Rail," it meant freight service.
With the Information Economy being so important, rail now also means access for key workers to rail transit; to jobs, airports and clients. NH is looking at different transit options, so we sought information on each of the initiatives.
Raymond Gagnon of Claremont, NH, has been a strong supporter of rail service in the Granite State as an economy development tool. We recently asked him about the future of rail in NH, and the possibility of service from Concord to Boston. The current rail projects are described below.
Q: What are the current rail projects?
A. The Downeaster
Amtrak's Downeaster is a popular passenger rail service that has grown substantially since its initiation in 2001. Managed by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, this service provides five round trips per day between Portland, ME and Boston, with New Hampshire stops in Exeter, Durham, and Dover.
"This accounts for about 40% of the Downeaster's ridership," according to Rep. Gagnon.
B. Knowledge Corridor
The railroad corridor that travels through western Massachusetts into Vermont and New Hampshire, following the Connecticut River, has been termed the "Knowledge Corridor" in recognition of the colleges and universities along the route. The Amtrak Vermonter service currently operates on this corridor, with a daily stop in Claremont on its route between St. Albans, VT and Washington, DC. Stops in Vermont border communities, such as White River Junction, also serve New Hampshire residents.
"Re-routing the Vermonter through the Knowledge Corridor has cut the time by a half an hour," says Rep. Gagnon.
C. Plaistow Commuter Rail Extension
The MBTA line currently makes 10 daily round trips from Boston to Haverhill. The NHDOT is sponsoring a study to evaluate extending the existing passenger rail service from Boston to Haverhill, MA, and to Plaistow. Advocates have long sought to provide an alternative from the congested NH 125 corridor for commuters, students, and other travelers to and from Boston.
"This could evolve and expand into future passenger rail service to NH Seacoast communities," explains Rep. Gagnon.
D. New Hampshire Capitol Corridor
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation(NHDOT) in cooperation with NHRTA, released the NH Capitol Corridor Study in February 2015 to evaluate passenger rail service and other transit alternatives like express bus service. The study already has the support of the local government and businesses along the Merrimack River Corridor who recognize the positive results indicated extensive positive economic development impacts of expanding passenger rail including new jobs, commercial and residential real estate growth, and millions of dollars in reinvested worker earnings.
E. Service Between Boston and Montreal
"Among the most interesting and positive rail initiatives is the planned high speed rail passenger service between Boston and Montreal," says Rep. Gagnon.
"Unfortunately, due to NH state government reluctance to engage in this planned service -- the planned route will cross Massachusetts where it will travel North through Vermont, and passing through Western NH, with a possible stop in Claremont, NH. Projected to be comparable time-wise with automobile travel, this is projected to have a major economic and community impact regionally including Western. NH," Rep. Gagnon explains.
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Some Community Thoughts About Rail
"Boston-Concord, NH, is the only corridor in the United States with a population of 500,000 that is NOT served by a commuter rail."
-- NH Railroad Transit Authority
Concord Monitor Encourages Rail Development
"Ridership on commuter rail has increased in almost every major city," according to a recent editorial in the Concord Monitor (May 10, 2015).
Entitled "Commuter rail is a gamble worth taking," the editorial was positive; "Establish regular rail service and, for a time, even more New Hampshire residents will commute south to work, but also in time, we're betting that more and more of those Massachusetts employers will decide that a northern move makes economic and lifestyle sense."
"Build it and they will come," it concluded.
The Josiah Bartlett Institute has fiscal concerns:
Legislative Summary:
According to Rep. Gagnon, "The highways, seaports, and airports are all subsidized by government entities." And he reports, "The legislature has decided not to fund the study regarding passenger rail service in the Merrimack River Corridor."
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Our thoughts: With all of the focus on short-term fiscal issues, its easy to lose track (OK, pun intended...) of this significant economic question for the state and region. We'd encourage you now that you know which-is-which, to add your voice to the debate.
Economy Developers wishing to stay abreast of this issue are welcomed to participate in any of the Passenger Rail Authority meetings, contact your Representatives, or we'd be pleased here at Economy Developer to see if we can find an answer to your questions.
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