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Pappas, Kuster Host Virtual Discussion on Commuter Rail Expansion in NH

February 11, 2021

**Reps. Kuster and Pappas met virtually with local rail officials to hear updates on the Capitol Corridor Project**

**Last year, Kuster and Pappas worked together to advance legislation to bring commuter rail to New Hampshire**

Concord, N.H. — Today, Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02) hosted a virtual discussion on bringing commuter rail to New Hampshire and the status of the Capitol Corridor Project. As of 2019, more than 75% of New Hampshire residents are in support of bringing commuter rail to NH.

"Extending commuter rail from Manchester and Nashua to Boston will be an economic game-changer for our entire state," said Congressman Chris Pappas. "As we look to the future to plan how we rebuild our economy and put people back to work, the Capitol Corridor project is essential, especially in regards to business and workforce development which will rely on modern transportation infrastructure. I look forward to continuing to work with Congresswoman Kuster to secure funding for this project and with Commissioner Sheehan, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, and community and business leaders from across the state to keep building bipartisan consensus and support to move this project forward."
"The transportation network is more than roads, bridges, and rail tracks — it is a vital economic engine that drives growth and creates jobs in all of our communities," said Rep. Kuster. "But, here in New Hampshire and throughout much of New England, we have fallen woefully behind in maintaining and improving our infrastructure to meet our current and future needs. Passenger rail will make our state more economically competitive, prevent commuters from spending endless hours sitting in traffic, and plug New Hampshire's burgeoning tech industry in with the vast pools of talent in Boston, helping bring the best and brightest minds in the region to employers in Nashua, Manchester and beyond. I will continue working to advance legislative efforts in Congress to support the expansion of commuter rail in New Hampshire."

"I want to thank Congresswoman Kuster and Congressman Pappas for hosting the meeting and bringing Capitol Corridor Project stakeholders together," said Victoria Sheehan, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. "The Department is actively working on the Project Development Phase of this project and today provided a great opportunity to explain how the Department is advancing the project and the next steps in the process."

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, co-sponsored by Rep. Pappas, 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.

Congressman Pappas has been a strong advocate for increased passenger rail since his time serving on the New Hampshire Executive Council. He serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Committee where he has championed common-sense, bipartisan transportation solutions, like rail, to rebuild our infrastructure and move New Hampshire forward.

This week Pappas released his New Hampshire Infrastructure Roadmap, an ambitious list of infrastructure priorities that he will advocate for this term in Congress. He has held a number of events throughout the district with local and regional transportation, infrastructure, and economic stakeholders to help advance that agenda.

Last year, Pappas introduced the Connecting America's Active Transportation System Act. This legislation provides $500 million in funding for a federal grant program to help build connected active-transportation routes including trails, sidewalks, and bikeways that support the health and economic growth of our communities. This bill was included in the Moving Forward Act, the 5-year transportation and infrastructure package passed in the House last Congress.

You can watch the full conversation here.