Rail Service Tops Wish List in Nashua

Great American Downtown asked, and the people of Nashua answered: they want rail. The organization—which has a mission to promote a vibrant downtown and is known for activities such as the Holiday Stroll, street pianos, and farmers markets—also conducts an annual community survey.

Executive Director Paul Shea says this is the first time rail has come out on top. “It was 15th on the list in 2017,” he says. Also among the top five are opening a performing arts center, holding a major craft fair, expanding the farmers market, and creating a fish market.

“We work to facilitate a conversation to continue to build a downtown that is vibrant,” Shea says. “The survey drives programming and tells us what people are interested in seeing downtown. We had 514 out of 700 respondents who supported rail.”

Jay Minkarah, executive director of the Nashua Regional Planning Commission (NRPC), says he is not surprised. He says the extension of passenger rail service from Boston to Nashua has been a subject of planning officials for decades. “It is included in our 20-year Metropolitan Transportation Plan and something we have actively been working on with the city of Nashua and surrounding communities.”

He says the NRPC’s own surveys show a similar result, as Nashua is one of three cities with the highest concentration of out-of-state commuters in NH. “The primary driving factor is to serve existing [car] commuters to Massachusetts into the Boston and Cambridge core,” as well as reduce the number of vehicles, especially single-occupant, and reduce emissions, Minkarah says.

While there is debate as to whether the extension of rail would draw workers away from or attract them to NH firms such as BAE, which has hundreds of open positions, Minkarah says Nashua would benefit either way. “From an economic and land use perspective both are desirable. ... It could also attract younger workers to the region,” he says.

The State Senate, in late February, approved a bill to allow NH DOT to access federal funds to study rail options. For more information, visit nashuarpc.org or downtownnashua.org.