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Letter to the Editor: Nashua needs commuter rail

By Staff | Feb 17, 2019

I moved to Nashua right out of college. My husband, then boyfriend, had a great opportunity to work as an engineer for BAE, and I reasoned that Nashua was close enough to commute to Boston for my career in advertising. Little did I know, my Nashua-to-Boston commute would shape my career and my path in life.

That was nearly 15 years ago, and as I climbed on the bus daily, the other commuters and I would excitedly talk about a commuter rail coming to Nashua. But the seasoned commuters were very weary saying things like, “Forget it. We’ve been talking about rail for years. It’s never going to happen.” They, sadly, were right.

This is a real problem – not just for Nashua, but for New Hampshire as a whole. I’ve lived here my whole life, and I am proud of the progress I’ve seen to make our state an entrepreneurial, pro-business state. However, I have watched some of the state’s biggest employers struggle with finding, training and retaining enough long-term employees to meet growing demand. As an alderwoman at-large and a business owner from Nashua, I have intimate knowledge of this struggle.

Then, there is the brain drain problem. Every year, thousands of qualified potential employees graduate from New Hampshire universities, but few choose to stay and make their home in the Granite State. I’m a mom and entrepreneur, and I have seen many friends leave this state in droves. Compounding the issue is the fact while Boston offers a large pool of potential young employees, there is no easy way to commute to or from New Hampshire. The problem is clear:we need to attract and retain more young workers in New Hampshire.

A commuter rail from Boston to Nashua helps solve both of these problems, creating a cheap and efficient way for potential new employees to commute from New Hampshire, and incentivizing recent graduates to settle in New Hampshire with a quick and effective way to get to and enjoy Boston without driving.

It’s time to make this investment in our state. This month, Sen. Melanie Levesque introduced Senate Bill 241. This bill allows the department of transportation to access federal funding to complete the project development phase of the capitol corridor rail project. I believe this bill is a critical step for New Hampshire and the city of Nashua. I thank Sen. Levesque for her elevation of this critical step, and I urge all our representatives to be bold and get rail on the fast track to success by supporting this legislation. The future of New Hampshire depends on it.

Shoshanna Kelly

Alderwoman At-Large

Nashua

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