The analysis would be funded by a federal grant at zero cost to New Hampshire taxpayers.
MANCHESTER, NH – The New Hampshire Senate Transportation Committee voted April 24 to remove federal funding for a detailed analysis of passenger rail expansion and bus service from Boston to Manchester from House Bill 2018
House Bill 2018 is the amended Ten Year Transportation Improvement Plan, which included $4 million in federal funding for the Project Development phase of the proposed rail expansion project. This step would provide a detailed analysis of engineering, environmental, and geotechnical aspects, along with a firm financial plan for expanding passenger rail from Boston to Manchester. Should the state undertake the analysis, it would be under no commitment to move forward with the build-out of rail nor obligated to any future costs.
The article seems to imply that because it won’t cost the taxpayers for this ‘study’, it is not clear why anyone would oppose.
Perhaps the key is, who would people want to spend money, especially from the feds, if they ultimately don’t want a commuter rail? The fact is, despite the claim that a 2015 Public Policy Poll indicated 74-percent of New Hampshire residents support passenger rail expansion, the public has already weighed in and they do NOT want it.