As rail plan idles, Nashua to get nonstop buses to Boston

With the extension of commuter rail still on the drawing board, Nashua-area residents will soon have another option for getting to Boston.

Starting Feb. 1, Concord Trailways will offer nonstop bus service to South Station in Boston, with continuing service to Logan Airport. Pickup spots will be at the Park and Ride lot near Exit 8 of the F.E. Everett Turnpike and the Welcome Center at Exit 6.

The preliminary schedule offers nine round trips a day, with the first bus leaving Nashua at 5:50 a.m. and the last leaving Boston at 8:45 p.m., according to Christopher Morgan, administrator at the state's Bureau of Rail and Transit.

A one-way trip is expected to take one hour and 10 minutes and cost $4 to $5, or $9 for a round trip.

"We expect this bus service to be very popular," said Morgan. "In years past there was a bus that offered a limited schedule, but nothing like this."

The service is considered an interim solution until the commuter rail is running, according to state officials. But the timetable and major details of expanded rail service are far from settled.

Currently, Nashua-area commuters who travel to Boston can pick up the commuter rail in Lowell. But under a plan that has been in the works for eight years, commuters will be able to park and take the train from Nashua or Manchester to Massachusetts.

Governor John Lynch meets regularly with community leaders to discuss efforts to bring the rail to Nashua, according to spokeswoman Pamela Walsh.

Steve Williams, executive director of the Nashua Regional Planning Commission, attends many of those meetings. In a recent phone conversation, Williams said he is often asked when work on the rail will begin.

The answer is simple, he said: "Once everyone comes together and agrees on the plan, then it is possible for the train to be up and running within 18 to 24 months."

Among the issues to be decided are the schedules and the exact location of train stations. In addition, Pan Am Railways, which owns the railroad tracks that are used for freight in New Hampshire, will have to set up an agreement with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which owns the tracks in Massachusetts.

"This is a simple project from a technical standpoint that involves laying down some new track and building a few stations," Williams added.

Williams said the good news is that freight tracks already exist, but those tracks will need to be upgraded so that they can handle a commuter line. "It would make for a bumpy and uncomfortable ride if the tracks were not upgraded to accommodate a passenger train," he said.

Williams expects to complete a proposal for Lynch's review in the next month. From there, it will be sent to the Federal Transit Authority for review. The project is projected to cost approximately $103 million, and Williams expects 80 percent of that to come from federal funding.

Recent ridership studies showed that nearly 1,000 riders will use the train daily, according to Williams.

Initially the schedule will reflect work trips, for people living in New Hampshire who commute to Boston and vice versa. But there could also be a market for passengers riding to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport as an alternative to Logan.

Kathy Hersh, Nashua's community development director, is working with Williams on the commuter rail project and last month updated members of the city's Planning and Economic Development Committee.

She told members that the initial plan of a double track from Lowell to Nashua, which would allow separate tracks for freight and passenger trains, would not be possible at first. "What is being discussed, which would not preclude double tracking in the future, is improving the single track from Lowell all the way to Manchester," she told attendees.

Double railing would have been a way to avoid conflicts in schedules with the freight cars. But for now, the tracks will be shared.

"We would have to be flexible in the beginning and could only offer four round trips a day to Boston," Hersh said.

Initial plans also include three train stations, with locations in South Nashua, downtown Manchester, and at the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.

Commuter rail service from Concord, Manchester, and Nashua to all points south ended in 1968. But for one year in the early 1980s the federal Ridership Project offered rail service from Boston to Concord, with stops in Manchester, Merrimack, and Nashua. The project was conducted on a national level to see how many people would take the train.

"The service was so successful that they had to add cars to accommodate all the passengers," said Williams. "The project was canceled in 1981 by the then-President Ronald Reagan."

Once the train is running, the goal is to coordinate schedules with the bus service and sell tickets at shared sites.

"Ultimately the value of these projects will improve the integration of Nashua into the Boston metropolitan area, which will give us further economic development," Williams said.