Meeting on public-private commuter rail

On Tuesday, August 18 a legislative committee will meet to study public-private partnerships for funding a New Hampshire commuter rail.

The committee was formed after the legislature declined to fund the next phase of studies for a commuter rail connecting southern New Hampshire to Massachusetts.

A public-private partnership can take many forms. A private company may only be responsible for the construction of a project. On the other end of the spectrum, a private company may be responsible for designing, building, financing, operating, and maintaining a project. In return, the private company is allowed to collect user fees and/or gets an annual payment from the government.

Supporters of a public-private partnership for commuter rail argue that private involvement will decrease state costs, while New Hampshire residents will still get all of the economic benefits of a new transportation route.

Opponents of a public-private partnership question whether ceding control to a private company guarantees lower costs. A public-private partnership commuter rail in Colorado is roughly $1 billion over budget and not yet complete.