Whether or not to spend $4 million to study the impact of bringing commuter rail service from Boston to New Hampshire is coming up for debate before a key Senate committee
The Senate Capital Budget committee will meet Thursday afternoon as it finalizes a proposal for capital spending projects in the next 2-year state budget. The capital budget also includes spending on projects such as a new courthouse and a new women's prison in Concord.
Extending commuter rail service into New Hampshire has become a divisive issue. Its supporters say extending the line to Nashua and Manchester will create jobs and bring more young people into the state. But its opponents say the benefits of rail are overstated and that the state will spend too much money subsidizing it.
