Today, Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) held a virtual roundtable with Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, and NHDOT Commissioner Victoria Sheehan on rail expansion in New Hampshire. The group discussed New Starts funding, the Capitol Corridor Project, and H.R. 2. The Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2) is a comprehensive, five-year transportation and infrastructure package passed by the House last week that includes important provisions from Kuster’s Invest in American Railroads Act, as well as increased funding for New Starts and lays the groundwork for Manchester to Boston commuter rail. New Starts grants are a main source of government funding for passenger rail programs across the country.

“Here in the Granite State, commuter rail would be a gamechanger, helping to spur economic competitiveness by preventing our residents from enduring long commutes in traffic and making it easier for talented individuals in the greater region to work for employers based in New Hampshire,” said Kuster. “We must act boldly to provide relief to our commuters and improve public transportation. I’m proud the House passed my ambitious legislation to invest in and extend the life of our transportation infrastructure, and I look forward to sharing the insights I heard in today’s discussion with my colleagues as we continue working to expand commuter rail and improve our nation’s transportation infrastructure.”

“I’m pleased that the Moving Forward Act passed the House last week after many months of work in the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. This legislation will invest $1.3 billion into New Hampshire’s roads, bridges, and transit systems over the next five years – a 30% increase over current funding levels,” said Congressman Chris Pappas. “We increased funding for New Starts, which is the main source of funding for new commuter rail projects, and we also lowered financing costs for these projects. Granite Staters overwhelmingly support expanding passenger rail from Manchester to Boston, and the provisions we secured in the Moving Forward Act can help make it a reality.”

The Moving Forward Act will deliver more than $1.3 billion for New Hampshire’s transportation infrastructure, a more than 30% increase in federal funding. The final version of the legislation included critical provisions from Rep. Kuster’s (NH-02) bipartisan Invest in American Railroads Act, which will make it easier for New Hampshire to fund the Capitol Corridor Project to bring commuter rail to the state. Rep. Pappas helped develop The Moving Forward Act as a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. 

Watch the roundtable here. 

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