I know you are out there. Dreamily hearing the click clack of the wheels on the tracks. Did you know that a bus has a smaller carbon footprint than a train? If you measure that sort of thing it’s true! It seems some people want to explore (engineering study alert) connecting the old RR line to Portsmouth to the current Amtrak Service. This line currently is only used once in a while now with a few boxcars. I see them cross the Squamscott River at the Great Bay , they go very slow , you could walk faster. Google the area and see where the line leads your self. It also crosses Route 33 right near the new mall. It would be a major interuption in RT 33 traffic to have that rail line live. It also goes right through the Great Bay Discovery Center parking lot. I would forget this plan.
Portsmouth is already serviced by the bus. I know people that take the bus to Boston every day, it’s fast, economical , and reliable.
This line despite the talk in the news article would require major upgrades, no engineering study required. You would have to wait at Newfields to make your connection North or South. On the bus, you would be well on your way.
My son has been taking the Amtrak a few times the past few weeks to Boston. It has been running late and the story is signal trouble. It has to go very slow in places. I have noticed the crossings in Exeter have been having issues. The gates have been malfunctioning. Rail Crossings are very dangerous and are even more so on lines that people believe to be defunct.
A shuttle bus from Downtown Portsmouth to an existing Amtrak Station is all that is necessary .
Mike
The Exeter Town Crier 
Mike,
Train server or mass transit of any kind (bus, rail, etc.) is increasingly important and provides value to communities.
You should research this a little bit – in Massachusetts where your son took the train to Boston – the Mass Bay Commuter Rail owns the tracks and sets the rail speeds – recently work was done in Haverhill to increase the rail speed because of the increase in ridership.
The gates malfunction and get repaired because thinks to break or malfunction – possibly due to weather.
I don’t think rail service will de-rail (no pun) bus service – they both provide alternatives to single passenger vehicles and provide mass transit.
A bus stuck in rush hour traffic can take up to 2 hours to go from Portsmouth to Boston where a train might face speed limits from the MBCR but can still arrive in Boston consistently on time. Amtrak takes great precautions to ensure an good on time percentage.
Please try and be informed about your opinions – maybe talk to the Amtrak folks or the Downeaster Riders group and learn a bit about train.
After all – your son took the train to Boston a few times and you didn’t drive him in?? or put him on a bus??
Thanks,
Rob
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Mike,
Also – it would be great if you could cite your statistics – where do you get the “Did you know that a bus has a smaller carbon footprint than a train?” – might it be from the American Bus Associations (http://www.buses.org/files/2008ABAFoundationComparativeFuelCO2.pdf) study on buses vs. train?
I hope they aren’t biased towards buses.
And I wonder if which buses and which trails – light rail? heavy duty rail? urban transit bus? electric trolley bus? motorcoach?
That study I reference has some wierdness in it – for example Motorcoach’s on Low Pass-mi/Gal are 173.2 compared to Commuter Rail’s 60.6 but when you look at High – it reverses – Mortorcoach goes to 232.7 and Commuter rail goes to 263.6.
I think a bus which holds 50 people can get 50 people to Boston the best, but a train that can take 200-300 to Boston will beat 4-6 Motorcoaches.
How many cars fit in that Portsmouth Transportation Center lot?
I think its over 975 spots (my source: http://www.nh.gov/dot/nhrideshare/p11.htm).
Thanks,
Rob
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I don’t have a comment on the carbon footprint argument but the huge required upgrade of the RR tracks will have tremendous, harmful environmental impacts to the Great Bay.
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