The Senate Capital Budget Committee voted along party lines on Thursday to not spend $4 million to study building a commuter rail from Boston to New Hampshire.
Democrats proposed the measure, which Governor Maggie Hassan included the money in her state budget, saying a rail would boost the state’s economy.
But Senator David Boutin, who is the vice chair of the committee, says what it would cost to build and maintain a rail system would not justify the economic gains.
“The Federal Transit Administration published reports that said if you think economic development will result from a new commuter rail, you need to revisit the issue because it is not the end result,” he told his colleagues.
Boutin says creating more bus lines would be a more cost-effective solution to the state’s transportation shortfalls.
