Senate Transportation Committee to Hear Testimony on Rail Expansion
On Tuesday, February 5, at 2:00pm in Legislative Office Building Room 103 in Concord, the NH Senate Transportation Committee will hear testimony on Senate Bill 241, which will allow the NH Dept. of Transportation to access existing federal funding to complete the critical Project Development Analysis of the NH Capitol Corridor Rail Expansion Project.
Approval of this bill would have zero cost to New Hampshire taxpayers as ample federal funding is available and designated for this type of project.
As a reminder, Project Development is a detailed analysis of the financial, engineering, and environmental aspects of expanding passenger rail from Boston to Nashua and Manchester.
More than 110 New Hampshire businesses and 74 percent of residents support the expansion of passenger rail in New Hampshire.
Released in 2015, the NH Capitol Corridor study outlined the many benefits of rail expansion. With four stops, two in Nashua and two in Manchester, passenger rail service would:
- Draw a minimum of 668,000 riders each year
- Lead to the creation of 5,600 permanent jobs supporting 3,600 new residential units along the corridor.
- Generate about 230 construction jobs along the rail line
- Spur an additional 3,400 construction jobs to build the real estate development generated by rail.
- Beginning in 2030, 1,700 new jobs would be created every year due to the expansion of passenger rail.
- Approximately 3,600 residential units would be created to support new workers
- 1.9 million square feet of commercial real estate would be a by-product of rail expansion.
- Real estate development would add $750 million to the state’s output from 2021-2030
- Reinvested worker earnings would add $220 million to the economy beyond 2020
Contact the Committee
Please email the NH Senate Transportation Committee and express your support for SB241.
Attend the public hearing and provide testimony.
Tuesday, February 5
2:00pm
Legislative Office Building, Room 103
Concord, NH 03110