Craig says she will bring commuter rail to New Hampshire if elected governor

If that were the case, Vermont wouldn't have that exact same issue... and they have both.

There's industry up here, and they're hiring... there's just never going to be a benefit for the top half of the state on this project. We're stuck relying on the three tourist lines (Cog/Hobo/CSRX) and ski areas to generate the local revenue to pay for these ideas.

NHV 669 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 17, 2023 12:35 pm

artman wrote: ↑Sun Dec 17, 2023 10:18 am NH's #1 industry is tourism. The disdain New Hampshirites have towards the folks that pay so much to help account for their low tax rates through 8.5% rooms and meals tax, cigarette taxes, liquor stores, fireworks shops, casinos and whatnot never ceases to amaze me. So many hate tourists, but would be complaining ever louder if they actually had to support the state's budget by themselves. Unbelievable.

Except, the taxes aren't low, continue to increase (they just doubled on my home), and are pricing locals out of their ability to live up here and own a home as said tourists buy additional homes or retirement properties. I fail to see how putting us further in the hole to serve the greater Concord "metro" area and points south benefits the other 2/3s of us up north...

Not to mention the straight up inability to effectively do anything on the weekend in our own state (ski, hike, storyland, santa's village, drive through Conway, take your pick) because of the number of tourists.

How about jacking the toll rates up on the weekend for starters? If these people want to come up here so badly, let's shift more of the burden to them.

Tourists aren't going to take Commuter Rail to NH to go to the state liquor store, buy lottery tickets, cigarettes, fireworks, go to casinos or hotels. Perhaps they will take Commuter Rail to a restaurant.

And I don't think you need to worry about the second homes driving up local spending, it's the first homes with the school children you need to worry about.

But if I could take a regional train to say Attatash, Bretton Woods and the like or an easy connection that could create more room on the roads.

That's the problem, none of the active lines really go anywhere useful or fast enough to compete with the roads, and the faster connections are long gone.

Have to disagree; Ironically, extending the Lowell Line to Nashua or Manchester/Bedford would be very popular I think. As would putting back a bridge & reconnect Newburyport Line to Portsmouth.

I was thinking more like those of us up here in the north between and near the notches where it's at least a 5-10 mile drive to get anywhere, and all the local spots are pounded with tourists, depending on the season and activity.

The local tourist RRs don't offer a real alternative to driving.

Certainly the feasible/somewhat doable build/rebuild options increase moving south.

You need privately owned Hi-Rail vehicles & access to the state owned tracks. And self-driving software that ties in with GPS and railroad dispatchers. Also self-driving DMUs. All technically feasible.