New Hampshire needs high-speed rail

To the editor:

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 than cars and airplanes, which are powered by fossil fuels. Twenty years ago, New Hampshire and 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. The time for New Hampshire and the rest of the United States to start transitioning to a high-speed rail system is now.

David Sanok

Exeter