Economic Impact of New Hampshire Passenger Rail Capital Corridor

The Economic Impact of Passenger Rail Expansion along the New Hampshire Capital Corridor was prepared for the Southern New Hampshire Regional Planning Commission and New Hampshire Rail Transit Authority. The proposed project would extend rail service 73 miles northward beyond Lowell, MA -- enabling intercity rail service from Boston to Manchester and Concord, New Hampshire. The planned service will take place in three service tiers including local, commuter and express services. It is intended to represent one step in the development of a larger New England High Speed Rail System connecting Boston and Montreal.

The work of EDR Group focused on assessing the economic impact and return on investment for the corridor, using the TREDIS economic analysis system. This included an assessment of the time, cost and safety impacts for those switching to the proposed train service from highway, bus, train and airport facilities, as well as impacts on highway congestion reduction (and air quality). Downstream impacts on freight and passenger travel and their economic development implications were then assessed.