Nashua wins $250,000 congressionally directed spending for commuter rail study; 12‑month timeline expected

Director Sullivan told the committee that Nashua secured $250,000 in congressionally directed spending to advance planning for a possible commuter rail extension. “We were actually funded to do this work, at an amount of $250,000,” Sullivan said, attributing the award to coordination with Congressman Goodlander’s office and local aldermen.

Sullivan said the appropriation comes with an accelerated timeline: staff expect the 12‑month study period to begin in October or November, subject to when a grant agreement is signed. The immediate scope is to update ridership scenarios, refine key project metrics and update the financial plan to reflect a Nashua-only study area.

Next steps and costs: Sullivan said that if the study supports design work, a 30% design phase for a Nashua extension would likely cost between $2 million and $3 million, and that construction funding would require federal grants or other external monies; he emphasized the city does not plan to use the general fund for later capital stages.

Regional coordination: Sullivan described early coalition building with property owners, municipalities and regional partners to the south, including potential Massachusetts planning involvement, to lay groundwork for future design and funding requests.

Sullivan characterized the award as the “second or third step” in a long-term effort to extend commuter rail and said staff will return with study findings and recommendations at the conclusion of the funded work.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the study; Sullivan said the city will proceed with the funded study and return with any requests for design funding later.