Letter: Rail should be a private investment
Published: 12/29/2020 9:18:33 AM
It has recently been announced that the governor and Executive Council authorized the N.H. Bureau of Rails and Transit to enter into a $5,448,607 contract with a company in Manchester to undertake the development and engineering phases of the long-discredited project to bring commuter rail service to the Capitol Corridor between Lowell, Mass., and Nashua and Manchester. But we are told that we really should not worry because it will be funded with “free money” from the federal government.
The contract supposedly includes preliminary engineering and design work, environmental and public engagement services as well as the development of a plan to finance the project, which would extend MBTA service to southern New Hampshire.
NH Business Review
$5.4 million contract calls for engineering, preliminary design of commuter rail project
December 22, 2020
The prospect of bringing commuter rail service to the Capitol Corridor between Lowell, Mass., and Nashua and Manchester brightened last week after the governor and Executive Council authorized the New Hampshire Bureau of Rails and Transit to contract with AECOM Technical Services Inc. of Manchester to undertake the development and engineering phases of the project.
The $5,448,607 contract, funded entirely with federal dollars, includes preliminary engineering and design work, environmental and public engagement services as well as the development of a plan to finance the project, which would extend MBTA service to southern New Hampshire.
A Bumpy Ride For California’s Amtrak As Pandemic Surges Sunday, December 20, 2020 | Sacramento, CA
A passenger boards a Bakersfield-bound train at the Emeryville Amtrak station on Dec. 16, 2020.
Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
This story was corrected on Dec. 17 to reflect that ridership on the Capitol Corridor line is 15% of last year’s total, not 50%.
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By Elizabeth Castillo, CalMatters
Gabriella Choe has been a regular Amtrak passenger for the past four years, traveling from Oakland to Sacramento to see her parents. Before the pandemic, she rode the train nearly every other weekend.
But as the pandemic worsens, her visits are now infrequent, and she doesn’t plan on traveling for Christmas.
The state also had two overnight rail services in the past, the Lark and The Spirit of California, which ceased running in 1983 because of budget cutbacks. Currently, it has only one direct train between Oakland and Los Angeles: the Coast Starlight. That train has compartments with beds, but it runs during the day. It takes about 11 hours, so it’s useless except for the most leisurely of travelers. But the schedule could be changed to turn it into an overnight run, allowing passengers to sleep through the journey.
The California Zephyr–one of several Amtrak trains with sleeper cars that spends nights in California doing nothing. Photo: Amtrak
A bumpy ride for California’s Amtrak as pandemic surges
Amtrak has lost a staggering $800 million, with California’s three routes losing 65-85% of passengers. Service has been cut back substantially.
Credit: Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
A passenger boards a Bakersfield-bound train at the Emeryville Amtrak station on Dec. 16, 2020. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters Author: ELIZABETH CASTILLO (CALMATTERS) Updated: 1:57 PM PST December 17, 2020
Gabriella Choe has been a regular Amtrak passenger for the past four years, traveling from Oakland to Sacramento to see her parents. Before the pandemic, she rode the train nearly every other weekend.
But as the pandemic worsens, her visits are now infrequent, and she doesn’t plan on traveling for Christmas.