the commuter rail is that it will ease congestion on I-93 and Route 3 and bring more families and business to NH. Opposition to the expansion is that people do not want to have any increases in taxes, and some consider the project to not be necessary. MBTA Commuter rail ridership has dropped 25% pre-pandemic from 40,569,600 riders in 2002, to 32,143,251 riders in 2018. NH Governor, Chris Sununu, once against the commuter rail, calling it "boondoggle", has since changed stance and now in support of the project as of 2022, with the possibility of Amazon relocating to NH. In December 2021, HB 1432, a bill that, if passed, would prohibit state funds from going toward passenger rail expansion within the state, was introduced to the New Hampshire State Legislature as a partisan bill (Republican 10-0). On May 12, 2022, HB1432 was killed by the NH Senate after Senator Birdsell refused to accede to the House's request for a Committee of Conference after the Senate had changed the wording of the bill. By autumn 2022, the study was being carried out by AECOM and the State of New Hampshire to design and make a financial plan for the project by 2023, where the project would have then awaited federal funding. In December 2022, the New Hampshire Executive Council voted to cease state funding for all passenger rail projects, including the ongoing AECOM study, in an effort to preclude the expansion of passenger rail in the state. The development of all ongoing NH passenger rail projects were effectively canceled instantaneously; the decision was spearheaded by conservative fiscal watchdog groups that claimed that a commuter rail extension was extraneous. Earlier in the month, an updated FRA submission report for Amtrak's 2021 ConnectsUS service plan indicated that a proposed Boston-Concord intercity route was no longer being considered by NH state authorities. There are no current plans to extend passenger rail services into the state of New Hampshire. Operations Track speeds North of Wilmington, the line is authorized for a maximum of . South of Wilmington, the line has an unusual asymmetrical speed limit. The northbound track supports up to where curvature allows, while the southbound track has a maximum of . Additional speed restrictions are in place at Wilmington, through the grade crossings in West Medford, and in the North Station terminal area. Other services Amtrak's Downeaster service to Maine, along with some