Claremont, N.H. — Today, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02) met with Mayor Charlene Lovett, station host volunteers, and city officials to discuss the local economy and visit the Claremont Amtrak Station which resumed service last month. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Rep. Kuster helped advance last week, includes a $66 billion investment in American railroads, with $22 billion to be provided as grants to Amtrak and $24 billion as federal-state partnership grants for Northeast Corridor modernization.

“The Vermonter has provided a tremendous opportunity for folks in Claremont to be connected to major metropolitan areas and to bring in tourists to enjoy all that New Hampshire has to offer, and I’m thrilled to see the train resume service,” said Rep. Kuster. “I was blown away by the dedication and spirit of the station host volunteers who help travelers navigate the rail and get to their final destination. In order to continue our economic recovery from COVID-19, it is critical we fully re-open the U.S.-Canada border to promote travel and tourism in New Hampshire. I have been in touch with partners on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border and I remain committed to advocating to open the border to vaccinated Canadian citizens, who have historically had a tremendous impact on tourism in Northern NH and in the Upper Valley.”

"We would like to thank Congresswoman Kuster for her continued support of passenger rail,” said Claremont Mayor Charlene Lovett. “Her visit today gave us the opportunity to showcase how the Claremont community has embraced this asset and made it an integral part of its intermodal transportation network. Further investment in passenger rail and the planned extension of the Vermonter into Montreal, Canada, will only expand business and tourism opportunities for the people of this region."

Kuster has been a leader in bringing commuter rail to New England and providing relief to commuters in New Hampshire. Last year, Rep. Kuster introduced her bipartisan Invest in American Railroads Act, included as an amendment to H.R. 2 The Moving Forward Act, to make it easier for New Hampshire to fund the Capitol Corridor Project to bring commuter rail to the state. This bipartisan legislation makes critical improvements to the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program or RRIF to make it less expensive for New Hampshire to finance a commuter rail line from Manchester and Nashua to Boston.

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