Portsmouth to Seabrook Greenway

Krystina Deren Arrain
NH State Committee
East Coast Greenway Alliance [ECGA]
P.O. Box 1407
Hampton, NH  03843-1407
Phone:  (603) 929-9252
Fax:       (603) 926-5060
E-mail:  [email protected]

Planned

Mileage Chart

Miles*

Station

41.47 Atlantic
42.66 Seabrook
44.36 Hampton Falls
46.52 Hampton
48.69 North Hampton
51.40 Breakfast Hill
56.91 Portsmouth

* = Railroad Miles from Boston
Italic indicates points on active railroad
Dark Face = Telegraph Station in 1923

Mileage, Station Names, and Attributes from Official List of Officers, Agents and Stations of the Boston & Maine Railroad, July 1,1923

The Webmaster undertook a quick photographic tour on April 29, 2001 for the purpose of exploring the feasibility of opening the abandoned railroad bed for rail-trail use between the MBTA Commuter Rail Station at Newburyport MA to the end of the active railroad track in Hampton, NH. Photographs taken during that excursion have been segregated into groups based upon the name of the nearest historic railroad station. The station names in the preceding railroad mileage chart as well as the chart for the Border to Boston Bikeway, are links to the individual pages of photographs and field notes. 

 

Map of Phase 1, as supplied by Krystina Deren Arrain

East Coast Greenway

A Rail-with-trail route near the seacoast has been planned for the New Hampshire segment of the East Coast Greenway:

The East Coast Greenway has recently been selected as one of 15 trails for designation as a Millenium Trail, which should be very helpful in focusing public attention on all of the component trail projects.

Updates on NH East Coast Greenway Project

Webmaster Notes:

Trail planners must note however that Guilford Transportation Industries still owns and operates the railroad line between Hampton and Portsmouth and thence to their main line at Rockingham Junction, thus relinquishment of any part of this right of way for either Rail-trail or Rail-with-trail purposes by the current railroad management is unlikely as long as this freight service is considered to be profitable.

In any event, trail planners must pay attention to a recent proposal to study the potential for rail commuter service between Newburyport and Portsmouth as a further extension of the recently restored rail commuter service to Newburyport. Reconstruction of the railroad implies that a successful Rail-trail would be converted into a Rail-with-trail or the bikeway would have to be relocated elsewhere in the region, if not abandoned.

Railroad Abandonment Summary

Docket Line From MP To MP Year RR Miles
AB-32-57X Hampton Hampton 42.70 Seabrook 46.00 1997 B&M 3.30

From abandonment notices published in the Federal Register (1994-1998).

Brief History of the Railroad

A brief history of the Eastern Line is published in Section #58 in The Rail Lines of Southern New England by Ronald Dale Karr, published by Branch Line Press in 1995.

1895 County Atlas - showing railroads [very slow loading]:

NH-DOT Planned Rail-trail & Bikeway projects

Name Route Number Description Years Cost
$(M)
Statewide Hampton Br. RR 12630 Acquisition of 4.5 miles of abandoned corridor from Mass S/L to Hampton for recreational purposes [96-71TE] R1999 .602

Years: R= Right-of-way acquisition, C=Construction

From the Ten Year Transportation Improvement Program 1999-2008 prepared by the NH Department of Transportation and submitted to the Legislature by the Governor in December of 1997. 

NH Executive Council Actions

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION - Authorized to enter into a Purchase and Sale Agreement with the Boston and Maine Corporation for a total price not to exceed $1,430,000 to acquire portions of the abandoned Portsmouth and Hampton Branch Railroad Lines.

[Item #110 of the Executive Council Minutes for December 15, 1999]

Federal Funding Summary

Project Name Year City County Federal $ Local $ Total $
Acq. Hampton Br. RR corridor 1998 STATEWIDE N/A $217,600 $54,400 $272,000

This list is drawn on April 8, 2000 from a database maintained by the National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse.  Direct questions to NTEC at 1-888-388-NTEC or by email to [email protected].


Sign images are from the Manual of Traffic Signs by Richard C. Moeur.

Updated on May 02, 2001 by Kenyon F. Karl <[email protected]>.
  Unintentional errors are likely!

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