While our Governor is touted as a protector of the NH Advantage and defender of the "no income or sales tax" philosophy, he allowed SB 241 to pass without his signature. Does he think doing this means he won't be held responsible for destroying the NH Advantage? SB 241 was NOT just another "study" as the Governor claimed in his letter to me, but was the go-ahead to implement the planning phase of commuter rail.
Now we read on his Facebook page, Congressman Pappas proudly colluding with Joyce Craig for commuter rail, stating that "Our bipartisan infrastructure bill includes critical funding for rail, and I'll continue to advocate for these smart investments."
Find out what's happening in Bedfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Meanwhile transportation engineers have stated factually that not only are trains NOT a "smart investment" but that "MBTA trains are diesel powered. Diesel powered trains will result in a net increase of greenhouse gases in the state. Hence, if you’re interested in lowering GHG, the last thing you should be wanting is diesel trains. Ergo, Chris Pappas is fighting hard to exacerbate global warming."
Here is one article, still relevant today, that explains why trains are not viable. We could not find one train system that was not bankrupt.
Find out what's happening in Bedfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
https://patch.com/new-hampshir...
For the uneducated people who actually think commuter rail will be "free" consider this... Not only did the NH DOT study already affirm that a train system will NOT help traffic, pollution, it recognized that it would not be fiscally viable, because of ridership that would be minimal (around .01% in NH). It even suggested we would need a sales AND income tax to support it. Guess who pays the bill? The middle class taxpayer who will never ride such trains.
It's almost impossible to get a cab or Uber these days. Because of safety concerns, I am told that in Boston, you are no longer able to just hail a cab or Uber from the street. Instead, you must use an app so they know who you are. As someone on Pappas' Facebook page thread already pointed out, you will not only have to pay the cost of the train both ways, but then you will have to find and pay for another ride to your destination. It also means you cannot run errands on your way home from work.
If you still think trains are a good idea for NH, please read the NH DOT's own study and the statistics about whether any train system anywhere is anything other than bankrupt.
