The announcement that Amtrak Service between Portland and Boston will begin in December has rail proponents in the region optimistic about other projects that could affect New Hampshire.
New Hampshire transportation officials have high hopes for Amtrak?s Downeaster service, once it makes stops in Dover, Exeter and Durham. Kit Morgan of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation says the new service could provide a practical example of the evolving role of trains.
04 108 I hope and think it will show that rail can be a viable part of the transportation system. And that as we move to implement commuter service to Nashua and possibly in the future service up to Montreal that this is just the first step. 04 120
Transportation officials say they are making progress on bringing MBTA, or Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter service from Boston to Nashua, through Lowell. David Fink, executive vice president of Guilford Rail System, owner of the track from Lowell to Nashua, agrees. Fink says there is no comparison of the proposed Nashua service and Maine?s Downeaster Service, which was plagued by misunderstandings, problems, and delays.
14 128 The state is working hard along with us and Nashua regional planning to see that that happens in the next few years. We?re very excited about that. We?ve always been for the commuter service to Nashua, we think it makes a lot of sense. It will take a lot of cars off route 3, and its good for the state. 14 145
Guilford and state officials say the Nashua project should be complete by 2004 or 2005, at a cost of about 60 million dollars.
While commuter service from Boston to Nashua is taking shape, the high speed rail corridor from Boston to Montreal, right through New Hampshire, is also attracting attention. The corridor was designated last year by the Clinton Administration. Seth Morgan of the Conservation Law Foundation, which advocates for greater rail service, says Congress is now paying attention to high speed rail, given the circumstances of recent history.
27 ..there?s tremendous interest in Washington right now at putting a fair amount of resources and attention into getting these high speed rail corridors up and running in the wake of the events of September 11th. 27 15
Increased rail service may end up being one of the lasting legacies of the terrorist attacks. Since commercial airliners proved vulnerable, lawmakers may see train service as a way to provide transportation choices to travelers.
