The State of NH has quietly restored commuter rail service between Concord and North Station. The state purchased and refurbished 15 Budd RDC-1 self propelled rail cars, and will operate in three car sets. NH Stops will be in Concord, Hooksett, Manchester, Bedford-Airport, Merrimack, Nashua North, and Nashua with stops in Lowell, Woburn, and North Station. Three trips in the morning, one midday, and three return trips in the afternoon are scheduled with times on nhbuddrider.com. The deal to operate was arranged through track owners, Pan Am Railways and the MBTA. The last time commuter rail ran north of Lowell was in 1981 with a federal grant for the MBTA to operate commuter rail to Concord.

While the tracks continue to be upgraded, the NH State Liquor Commission have stepped up to provide the much needed funding for the project. The fringe benefit will be a constant rolling, "Happy Hour" ,on the ride home with complementary cocktails and wine tastings to offset the slow initial speeds north of Lowell. To make sure only NH residents take advantage of the Happy Hour to Home return trip, there will be no intermediate stops in Mass. Reports have circulated that Anheuser-Busch will also offer a sponsorship and certainly give new meaning to the rail cars in that "This Budd's For You".

The RDC's will have this nose paint scheme, so riders can easily identify the cars at North Station, and the cars were rebuilt with new engines, new HVAC systems, new seats, and onboard WIFI, while still retaining their retro look.

Ridership is expected to be lean, but expected to grow as word gets out after the official launch on Wednesday, April 1, 2015.

Photographed by Biff Rockingham, April 1, 2015.
Added to the photo archive by Jay Gadon, April 1, 2015.
Railroad: Pan Am Railways.

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