Prepared by TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Vision Statement ............................................................................................................................ 11 1.2 Goals and Objectives ..................................................................................................................... 11 1.3 Balanced Scorecard ....................................................................................................................... 14 1.4 Outreach ........................................................................................................................................ 15 2. Rail System Infrastructure and Service .............................................................................................. 21 2.1 New Hampshire Rail System History ............................................................................................. 21 2.2 New Hampshire Transportation System ........................................................................................ 22 2.3 State Rail Network ......................................................................................................................... 27 2.4 Rail Owners and Freight Operators ............................................................................................... 30 2.5 Freight Rail System ........................................................................................................................ 34 2.6 Passenger Rail System .................................................................................................................. 54 2.7 Regional Rail System Projects ....................................................................................................... 61 2.8 Rail System Management and Planning ........................................................................................ 71 2.9 Rail Safety ...................................................................................................................................... 75 2.10 Rail Security ................................................................................................................................... 78 3. Freight Transportation Trends and Commodity Flow ......................................................................... 81 3.1 Freight Transportation by Mode ..................................................................................................... 82 3.2 Trade Flows and Commodities ...................................................................................................... 85 3.3 Freight Rail Trends for New Hampshire ......................................................................................... 95 4. Economic and Environmental Impacts ............................................................................................... 99 4.1 Economic Impacts of Rail to New Hampshire ................................................................................ 99 4.2 Environmental Impacts of Rail to New Hampshire ...................................................................... 106 5. Rail Issues and Trends ..................................................................................................................... 111 5.1 Freight Rail Industry Issues and Trends ...................................................................................... 111 5.2 Passenger Rail System Issues and Trends ................................................................................. 119 6. Rail System Recommenations ......................................................................................................... 127 6.1 Freight Rail System Recommendations ....................................................................................... 128 6.2 Passenger Rail System Recommendations................................................................................. 138 7. Investment Strategies ....................................................................................................................... 143 7.1 Evaluation Criteria ........................................................................................................................ 143 7.2 Freight Rail Investment Scenarios ............................................................................................... 146 7.3 Intermodal Facility Scenario – Developing an Intermodal Facility ............................................... 152 7.4 Passenger Rail Scenario – Amtrak Downeaster .......................................................................... 154 7.5 Investment Scenario Summary .................................................................................................... 155 8. Rail Funding and Financing .............................................................................................................. 157 8.1 Freight Rail Funding Approaches Of Other States ...................................................................... 158 Page i 8.2 Passenger Rail Operations Funding Approaches Of Other States ............................................. 159 8.3 Existing Federal Funding Programs ............................................................................................. 162 8.4 Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 .......................................................................................... 170 8.5 Short Line Railroads Tax Credit ................................................................................................... 170 8.6 Traffic Mitigation ........................................................................................................................... 170 8.7 Economic Development Administration Programs ...................................................................... 170 8.8 Community Facilities Program ..................................................................................................... 171 8.9 Existing New Hampshire Programs for Funding Rail ................................................................... 171 8.10 Rail Funding Programs and Opportunities ................................................................................... 172 8.11 Infrastructure Banks ..................................................................................................................... 172 8.12 Transportation Development Credits (TDCs)............................................................................... 173 9. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 175 Page ii LIST OF TABLES Table ES-1: New Hampshire Rail Plan Recommendations Summary ..................................................... 4 Table ES-2: Projects Evaluated as Investment Scenarios ...................................................................... 6 Table 2-1: State Rail Networks in New England...................................................................................... 28 Table 2-2: Miles of Rail Operated in New Hampshire ............................................................................. 29 Table 2-3 State-owned Abandoned Rail Corridors .................................................................................. 45 Table 2-4: Abandoned Rail Corridor Future Rail Use Potential............................................................... 47 Table 2-5: Drayage Distances to Regional Intermodal Facilities ............................................................. 50 Table 2-6: New Hampshire Intermodal Service Availability ..................................................................... 51 Table 2-7: New Hampshire Station Downeaster Ridership (FY 2010) ................................................... 55 Table 2-7: Claremont Station Vermonter Ridership ............................................................................... 59 Table 2-8: New Hampshire Area Station Vermonter Ridership (FY2011) .............................................. 59 Table 2 8: Roadway railway crossings in New Hampshire, 2011 ........................................................... 76 Table 2 9: Federal Railroad Administration Track Class Max. Operating Speeds .................................. 77 ‐ ‐ Table 3-1: NH Top 10 Inbound Commodities Based on Weight – All Modes ........................................ 87 ‐ Table 3-2: NH Top 10 Inbound Commodities Based on Value ($millions) – All Modes ......................... 87 Table 3-3: NH Top 10 Outbound Commodities Based on Weight (thousands of tons) – All Modes ...... 91 Table 3-4: NH Top 10 Outbound Commodities Based on Value ($millions) – All Modes ...................... 92 Table 4-1: 2009 Gross Domestic Product .............................................................................................. 99 Table 4-4: Carbon Dioxide Emissions by Mode 1994 through 2004 .................................................... 108 Table 5-1: Status of Projects included in the New England High-Speed and Intercity Rail Network .... 123 Table 6-1: New Hampshire Rail Plan Recommendations Summary .................................................... 127 Table 6-1: New Hampshire Rail Plan Recommendations Summary (Continued) ................................ 128 Table 6-2 Overhead Bridge Vertical Clearances on Pan Am Railways Mainline .................................. 130 Table 6-2 Overhead Bridge Vertical Clearances on Pan Am Railways Mainline (Continued) .............. 131 Table 7-1 Projects Evaluated as Investment Scenarios ........................................................................ 143 Table 7-1: Estimated Annual Transportation Benefits ($Millions) – SLR Improvements ...................... 148 Table 7-2: Estimated Annual Transportation Benefits ($Millions) – Improvements to Conway Branch149 Table 7-3: Estimated Annual Transportation Benefits ($Millions) – Distribution Facility ...................... 150 Table 7-4: Estimated Annual Transportation Benefits ($Millions) – PAR Mainline Vertical Clearance 152 Table 7-5: Estimated One-year Transportation Benefits (FY2011) – Amtrak Downeaster .................. 155 Table 8-1: Transit Operating and Capital Funding Sources .................................................................. 159 Table 8-1: Examples Transit Operating and Capital Funding Sources (Continued) ............................. 160 Table 8-2: Examples Intercity Passenger Rail Funding Sources .......................................................... 161 Table 8-2: Intercity Passenger Rail Funding Sources (Continued) ....................................................... 162 Table 8-3: SAFETEA-LU Federal Funding Programs .......................................................................... 165 Table 8-4: Disbursement of RRIF Funds 2002-2011 ........................................................................... 167 Table 8-5: Funding Appropriation and Award of Rail Line Relocation and Improvement Program ..... 168 Page iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2-1: National Gateways for the New Hampshire Railroad System .............................................. 26 Figure 2-2: Miles of Active Rail in New Hampshire ................................................................................. 27 Figure 2-3: New Hampshire Railroads .................................................................................................... 33 Figure 2-4: North County Rail Lines ........................................................................................................ 35 Figure 2-5: Connecticut River Valley Rail Lines ...................................................................................... 38 Figure 2-6: Southern New Hampshire Rail Lines .................................................................................... 41 Figure 2-7: Seacoast Rail Lines .............................................................................................................. 43 Figure 2-9: Short Haul Drayage Distances to Regional Intermodal Facilities ........................................ 48 Figure 2-10: Regional Drayage Distances to Regional Intermodal Facilities .......................................... 49 Figure 2-11: Downeaster Route .............................................................................................................. 54 Figure 2-12: Downeaster Ridership ........................................................................................................ 55 Figure 2-13: Exeter Station ...................................................................................................................... 56 Figure 2-14: Durham/UNH Station .......................................................................................................... 57 Figure 2-15: Dover Transportation Center ............................................................................................... 57 Figure 2-16: Vermonter Service ............................................................................................................. 58 Figure 2-17: Vermonter Ridership .......................................................................................................... 58 Figure 2-18: Regional Railroad Projects with impact to New Hampshire ................................................ 61 Figure 2-19: New England Vision for High Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail .................................... 62 Figure 2-20: At-Grade Crossing Incidents in New Hampshire (2002-2011) ............................................ 76 Figure 3-1: Modal Share in NH and US by Weight - 2009 ...................................................................... 82 Figure 3-2: Modal Share by Value in NH – 2009 ..................................................................................... 83 Figure 3-3: NH Mode Share Index Based on Weight (Through Traffic Excluded) ................................. 84 Figure 3-4: 2009 NH Freight Rail Traffic by Commodity/Direction (percent carloads) ........................... 85 Figure 3-5: NH Inbound Shipments by Weight – 2009 ........................................................................... 86 Figure 3-6: Imports from Canada to NH by Mode Based on Weight – 2009 ........................................... 86 Figure 3-7: Rail Tonnage by Destination County in NH – 2009 ............................................................. 88 Figure 3-8: Coal and Petroleum Products – Tons Terminating in NH .................................................... 89 Figure 3-9: NH Outbound Shipments by Weight – 2009 ........................................................................ 90 Figure 3-10: NH Outbound Shipment Destinations – All Modes by Weight ........................................... 90 Figure 3-11: Exports to Canada from NH by Mode Based on Weight – 2009 ........................................ 91 Figure 3-12: Aggregate and Nonmetallic Minerals – Tons Originating in NH ........................................ 93 Figure 3-13: Rail Tonnage by Origin County in NH ................................................................................ 93 Figure 3-14: NH Truck Shipments by Direction (Tons) – 2009 ............................................................... 94 Figure 3-15: NH Rail Shipments by Direction (Tons) – 2009 .................................................................. 94 Figure 3-16: NH Tons Carried and US Ton Growth 1997 to 2009 ......................................................... 95 Figure 3-17: NH Paper Industry GDP Index 1990 through 2008 ........................................................... 96 Figure 3-18: Pulp, Paper, Lumber and Wood Products Originating and Terminating in NH .................. 96 Figure 3-19: Total Through Traffic in NH ................................................................................................ 98 Page iv Figure 4-1: Freight Railroad Employment in NH 1997 through 2009 ................................................... 100 Figure 4-2: Freight-Dependent Employment Index 1990 through 2010 ............................................... 101 Figure 4-3: Freight Dependent Businesses in NH ................................................................................ 102 Figure 5-1: Rail car weight limits on New Hampshire area rail lines .................................................... 113 Figure 5-2: New Hampshire Primary Branch Lines .............................................................................. 115 Figure 5-3: New Hampshire Secondary Branch Lines ......................................................................... 116 Figure 5-4: Post-Panamax Ship Emma Maersk ................................................................................... 118 Figure 5-5: National Amtrak Ridership Growth ..................................................................................... 121 Figure 5-6: National Commuter Rail Ridership (1990-2009) ................................................................. 126 Figure 7-1: New Hampshire Rail Plan Potential Investment Scenario Locations ................................. 146 Page v Page vi