Following Decades of Decline, Granite State Once Again Looks to Freight Rail
Rail service in New Hampshire has shrunk considerably in recent decades, but the state is looking to partner with remaining Granite State railroads to rebuild. To boost existing businesses and attract new economic development, the New Hampshire State Rail Plan identifies a series of steps like upgrading track to safely carry heavier railcars, raising tunnel clearances to accommodate double-stack intermodal service, and other measures to modernize the state’s rail network.
New Hampshire's 10 freight railroads operate 369 miles of track and employ 169 in the Granite State.* It would have taken approximately 235,000 additional trucks to handle the 4.2 million tons of freight that started, ended, or moved through New Hampshire in 2021. Moving freight by rail prevented 172,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of taking 34,000 cars off the road or planting 2.61 million trees.
*2021 data
