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Boston Surface Railroad Company

¢ 2017 - Boston Surface Railroad
Company (BSRC) apereaches
Nashua to establish a public-
private partnership (PPP) to
operate passenger rail serving
Nashua

* BSRC is private company with
financing from private equity and
federal transit grants and loans

¢ Part of broader inter-city rail
system that includes Worcester-
Providence and Lowell-Worcester
service

Map of BSRC Intercity Routes - Planned

Concord

Bedford (4)

Nashua

Lowell @®)

‘) Woburn

Worcester )} Boston

Woonsocket

Providence

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Boston Surface Railroad Company

¢ Plans to use existing rail Right of
Way (ROW) with minimal
improvements to launch service —
“bronze plated vs. gold”

¢ Service schedule based on existing
commuter market and driven by
demand

¢ Using renovated and refurbished
operating equipment (rolling stock)

¢ Intercity, interstate service qualifies
BSRC as a Federally Regulated and
Federally Preempted private
railroad

15

Boston Surface Railroad Company

¢ Anticipated ridership from
Bedford, NH to Lowell (assumes
4% capture of commuter base)
* Year 1— 600 passengers
¢ Year 5 — 1,600 passengers
° Year 10 — 9,700 passengers

° A portion of this ridership will
come from one stop in Bedford
and one stop in Nashua

¢ Planned startup of Bedford to
Nashua to Lowell route in 2023

Ridership Projection
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000 - a
5,000 ; vA

System Wide BNH-LMA = mem \WR- PVD commen (YOR - PVD

Source: BSRC Ridership Projections

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Boston Surface Railroad Company

Map of Existing Right-of-Way Ownership

° Right-of-Way will be a mixture of —
leased and acquired access Ss —_—_ Beir
i aS Nashua
rights =

* BSRC will focus on getting tracks G® .
“commuter ready”- service to "|
justify safety and comfort and (T) ee ne O
Capacity needed for commuter wy
based service |

Providence

Note: Pan Am Railways owns the freight and dispatch rights for
Concord, NH to Lowell, MA and Massachusetts Bay
Transportation Authority (MBTA) owns the passenger rights for
Concord, NH to Lowell, MA

17

Boston Surface Railroad Company

¢ December 2017 — Nashua signs
MOU with BSRC

¢ Nashua responsibilities
* Provide passenger rail station

* Become designated recipient of
Federal Transit Authority funds

¢ Participate in and advocate for
BSRC passenger rail with NH
constituencies

18

Boston Surface Railroad Company

Current Status of BSRC

* Granted operational authority and common
carrier protected status by the US DOT
Surface Transportation Board

¢ Formed a public-private-partnership with
Nashua, Lowell, Worcester, Woonsocket

* Formed agreement with Genesee & Wyoming
to operate passenger rail from Worcester to
Providence

* Begun track renovations Worcester to
Providence line

* Testing safety mechanisms (Positive Train
Control) with Siemens

* Gaining signed letters of support from
Massachusetts legislators to open up
negotiations for passenger rights with Mass
DOT/MBTA for northern segments of system

19

Boston Surface Railroad Company

Projected Timeline to Operation

¢ 2018 - Seeking $6-12M grant Consolidated
Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement
(CRISI) program through USDOT

* engineering, rolling stock, land, environmental
* $275,000 for Bedford-Nashua segment

* 2018-19 Seeking up to $130 debt financing for
infrastructure and start up operations

* Private equity offerings

* Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing
through USDOT - development of railroad
infrastructure

* 2019 —track rights and operation testing

¢ 2020 — Worcester to Providence line operates
* 2021 — Lowell to Worcester operates

* 2023 — Bedford to Lowell operates

20

Moving Forward

Issues to Plan For Passenger Rail

Oversight and Operations

¢ BSRC may need the whole project (Providence, Worcester, Bedford) to get
the miles in order to qualify for Federal funding, and Nashua could be
federally “designated recipient” of these funds for whole system

¢ Nashua will need to further explore its roles, responsibilities, risks, and
opportunities as the “designated recipient” for BSRC system in NH

¢ Establishing Bedford, NH to Lowell/Boston service may hinge on some
agreement being possible with Pan Am, as well as the requirement to get
passenger rights from the MBTA — a complex undertaking that will need
political support across state lines

¢ Financing options and tools need to be explored for Nashua’s
responsibilities (rail station, expanded role as designated recipient)

Passenger Station

¢ City owned land off Crown Street
identified by City as priority location
for station (current park-n-ride lot)

¢ Likely model akin to passenger rail
station in Exeter, NH

¢ Located on a siding to the main line,
allows for uninterrupted freight service

* Covered, not enclosed, station

¢ No bathroom facilities or ticketing
machines (BSRC responsible for ticketing)

¢ Adjacent parking for ~ 245 cars

¢ Designed to accommodate passenger
cars from the MBTA and BSRC