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High speed railroad needed

By David Sanok - Exeter | Jun 27, 2020

Before the invention of airplanes and automobiles, the state of New Hampshire was once powered by the railroad system. The railroad system made New Hampshire towns and cities more interconnected with each other as well as with the rest of the United States. As growing carbon emissions from airplanes and cars continue to pollute our atmosphere, the United States must reform its transportation system by implementing a national High Speed Railway run on electricity to combat climate change.

High speed rail trains that run on electricity are much more energy efficient compared to cars and airplanes which are powered by fossil fuels. Countries like Japan and France demonstrate the efficiency of this model of transportation which accommodates far more passengers than individual automobiles.

A move to such a model is absolutely doable. The United States once had a transcontinental railroad system in place that could transfer people all over the country, and thus a good part of the infrastructure is already in place.

The idea has been floated, if not pursued aggressively in the past. Twenty years ago, New Hampshire and the neighboring states explored the feasibility of providing high-speed rail service from Boston to Montreal, with stops in Nashua, Manchester, Concord, Lebanon and Laconia. As our highways reach capacity, we need to explore options once again for transporting passengers by rail in order to ease the stress of commuting, while also boosting the economy in diverse regions of the state.

Critics argue that investing in a high speed rail system will cost money, but in reality, the cost of doing nothing will be far greater. Failure to reduce wear and tear on our roads and environment is already becoming evident. The clearing of the skies world wide during the COVID-19 quarantines is clear proof of the benefits of ending our reliance on individual automobiles powered by fossil fuels.

The time for New Hampshire and the rest of the United States to start transitioning to a high speed rail system is now.

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