Deadlocked NH Senate kills commuter rail study
Dashing the hopes of businesspeople and other proponents from Nashua to Manchester, the NH Senate has rejected the effort to authorize spending $4 million to conduct a study of the proposed expansion of commuter rail from Boston to Manchester.
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CONCORD, NH – Dashing the hopes of businesspeople and other proponents from Nashua to Manchester, the NH Senate has rejected the effort to authorize spending $4 million to conduct a study of the proposed expansion of commuter rail from Boston to Manchester.
On May 4, the Senate deadlocked at 12-12 on a bid to keep the rail study funding in the state’s 10-year transportation plan. The tie vote – Republican Sens. Dan Innis of Portsmouth and Kevin Avard of Nashua joined all 10 Senate Democrats in favor of the funding – was not enough to move the funding bid forward.
The $4 million study would be paid for solely by federal funding. The study would provide a detailed analysis of engineering, environmental and geotechnical aspects of the proposal along with a financial plan for expanding passenger rail from Boston to Manchester.
Some 110 business leaders and organizations, including the Greater Manchester and Greater Nashua Chambers of Commerce, backed the effort, which would have meant that $4 million in federal funding could be used to conduct the feasibility study.
Gov. Chris Sununu’s on-again, off-again stance on the issue probably didn’t help in winning more Republican support…
Read the full post here on NH Business Review
