PLAISTOW — The town could spend up to $15,000 to design a train station before the year is over.
Planning Board Chairman Tim Moore, who also serves on the Rockingham Planning Commission and the New Hampshire Rail Transit Authority, met with selectmen last night to update them on a proposal to extend the Boston-to-Haverhill, Mass., commuter rail service into Plaistow.
They developed a preliminary plan for what the town and state could do to get a stop at the park-and-ride lot on Westville Road.
In September, the New Hampshire Rail Transit Authority will look into obtaining money to establish an operating budget for the first time, Moore said. If the Legislature supports the move, he said it would be time for Plaistow to move forward.
It's the authority's responsibility to find funding for rail service throughout the state. Plaistow is on its list, he said.
If a budget is established, Moore proposes seeking bids later this fall for a design concept, using $10,000 to $15,000 in grant money intended for a train station. The town has a $966,000 grant it received about 10 years ago with the stipulation that it could not be used until long-term funding was available for train service.
Moore estimated a station could cost up to $250,000. The remaining money would be used for annual costs, such as rail liability insurance.
"The station and platform are the easy part because the state owns the park-and-ride on Westville Road," he said.
Extending the commuter rail service is contingent upon more than just funding. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has yet to agree to run its trains one stop farther north. There's been talk in the Massachusetts Legislature about that possibility, but not much of the dialogue has taken place over state lines.
Selectman Larry Gil said he thinks the MBTA is amenable to the idea. He found a 2003 study on its Web site that included detailed plans about extending service 5.4 miles north into Plaistow.
The study estimated 1,700 daily riders from New Hampshire, Gil said.
Because riders would come from all over the area, Moore said the Rockingham Planning Commission plans to ask county officials for help with financing rail service.
He also plans to arrange a meeting with the MBTA and to have the Rail Transit Authority make a formal request to Massachusetts to extend the service.
It would take trains an extra six or seven minutes to get to Plaistow from Haverhill and that should not disrupt the current schedule, Moore said. He plans to ask that all 13 weekday train runs and the six weekend runs make regular stops in Plaistow.
Moore also said the town needs to receive permission from Pan Am Railways, which owns the line through Plaistow and coordinates the schedule. Each entity may have its own stipulations, so Moore said he would keep asking questions and return to selectmen in October with an update.
