Rail opponents are at it again. A bill has been introduced that would prohibit the use of state funds for new passenger rail projects.
HB 1432 couldn’t come at a worse time. The New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s work with consultants on the Project Development Analysis of the NH Capitol Corridor project is well underway – and the initial findings are promising. Project Development is the blueprint that will give legislators hard data regarding rail expansion, including the financial model, engineering, and environmental analysis.
Thanks to your support, we successfully supported the passage of legislation that enabled NH DOT to access federal funding to begin this work – now that work and the future of rail is being threatened.
Please email the members of this committee or testify this Thursday, January 13 at 11AM in room 201 of the Legislative Office Building in Concord. Let the committee know that HB 1432 should be rejected.
As a reminder, the 2015 NH Capitol Corridor Study detailed that 668,000 weekday riders would result in the following economic benefits:
· 5,600 permanent jobs
· 3,400 construction jobs to build the real estate development triggered by rail
· 1,700 new jobs every year beginning in 2030
· 3,600 residential units to support new workers
· 1.9 million square feet of commercial real estate as a by-product of rail expansion
· $750 million in real estate investment from 2021-2030
· $220 million in reinvested worker earnings added to the economy beyond 2020
Thank you for your support!