Amtrak Downeaster Discussion Thread

[gokeefe]

Current per capita utilization rate is equal to or better than 1958 numbers without the benefit of traffic to/from points north of Brunswick.

I find that quite impressive given the extent of highway construction and other improvements made since that time.

In present day terms the station is producing on average about one full bus load of passengers (45-50 +/-) per train. The distribution is of course not so even.

Here are the most recent figures for the entire route from Great American Stations:

FY 2018 (1 OCT 2017 - 30 SEP 2018)

BRK: 40,313
FRE: 14,302
ORB: 15,802
POR: 166,135
SAO: 48,158
WEM: 56,960
DOV: 64,053
DHM: 57,772
EXR: 88,529
HHL: 42,803
WOB: 17,187
BON: 458,250

As we've discussed before Portland took a hit when Brunswick and Freeport opened. Ignoring Freeport entirely we get BRK + POR = 206,448, which if I'm not mistaken would have been close to an all-time high for Portland. Add in Freeport and it's 220,750.

So we can now show that even with delays associated with a backup move the route has added organic growth from the expansion. I would note these figures may contain some distortions from track projects.

That's "very good" to me.

[Cowford]

In present day terms the station is producing on average about one full bus load of passengers (45-50 +/-) per train. The distribution is of course not so even.

Negative. 10 trains * 360 days/yr * 45 to 50 average = 162,000 - 180,000 pax. I'm guessing that FY19 BRU numbers will come in similar to FY18, even given the additional train starts in FY19... regardless, they're enjoyed about one busload of passengers PER DAY in each direction.

POR ridership in 2012 was 215,000. That said, the extension has produced an incremental 1.7 riders per train. After six years. And tens of millions.

That's very good?

[Station Aficionado]

Hmm. Flat ridership with an increase in frequency from 2x to 5x? That’s some pessimism. I can easily imagine a big boost in Brunswick ridership. The question is whether they will be new riders or more cannibalization of Portland ridership.

[Station Aficionado]

And, just to be clear, I agree with cowford that, based on FY18 vs. pre-extension, the extension has not been a success ridership-wise. It did produce a new maintenance/layover facility, however, and reduced some of the parking demand in Portland. But this all gets back to the purpose of the extension—what was it for?

[Cosakita18]

A minor nitpick

Why aren't passengers allowed to wait on the platform at the PTC? Portland is the only station I've ever been to where staff reprimanded you for standing on the platform to wait for a train. What's the reasoning?

[Station Aficionado]

A minor nitpick

Why aren't passengers allowed to wait on the platform at the PTC? Portland is the only station I've ever been to where staff reprimanded you for standing on the platform to wait for a train. What's the reasoning?

Didn’t know about Portland, but this is an issue all along the NEC, and has even generated press coverage.

[electricron]

When was the last time you read of an Amtrak train running over and killing a passenger at a station platform?
Can you say the same length of time for local transit trains? Some of these silly rules many think are terrible are made in the name of safety. Isn’t there enough death and injuries already without adding to them?

[MEC407]

If it's a safety issue why do they only do it at POR and BON and not at any of the other 10 stations on the Downeaster route? Yes, most of those stations are unstaffed. But they've always been that way, and passengers have always been on the platforms and no one has ever gotten hurt or killed. This is the Downeaster after all, not the Acela Express. No one is going to get swept off the platform by the rushing air of a Downeaster or a PAR freight train.

[sicariis]

Cape Air's Portland service to Boston starts on the 18th. Cheapest ticket is $129 for the 52 minute flight in one of their 9 seat Cessna 402s. Will be curious how many price insensitive business travelers they attract away from the Downeaster $39 business class for the 2hr 30min train.

[swist]

You gotta be kidding me. How long in and out of the airport with TSA etc. Train might still be faster.

[gokeefe]

If it's a safety issue why do they only do it at POR and BON and not at any of the other 10 stations on the Downeaster route?

There are two different reasons for operational practices. North Station treats this as a security issue for reasons that should not require further explanation. There are some operational reasons as well related to platform space and crowds.

Portland is a different set of problems. First and foremost the station is owned by Concord Coach. They do not want their doors constantly opening and closing as passengers trickle down to the platform. This is for energy efficiency primarily (both A/C and heat). Second due to space constraints Amtrak does not want the Portland platform to be crowded with waiting passengers. A line in the trainway is tolerable but not ideal.

TrainRiders Northeast helps to provide the StationHost volunteers in Portland and because it is also a "crew base" of sorts for the TrainHosts they will typically assist with the boarding procedure as well at the discretion of the Ticket Agent (who is in charge of the waiting area and trainway) and train crews.

The boarding procedure in Portland is definitely unique in many respects but it has also evolved through a series of traditions set by Amtrak, NNEPRA, the landlord and the ever helpful TrainRiders volunteers.

The outcome is a rather elegant choreography of arrival and departure that is arguably one of the smoothest for a station of its size.

[gokeefe]

POR ridership in 2012 was 215,000. That said, the extension has produced an incremental 1.7 riders per train. After six years. And tens of millions.

I went back and checked some numbers. Aside from my obviously flawed and incorrect math I did find interesting that RPA reports a significant dip in rail passengers from which it has since recovered.

Here are the annual numbers from their fact sheet:

2012: 330.7K
2013: 348.1K
2014: 334.9K
2015: 262.8K
2016: 308.6K
2017: 322.3K
2018: 341.7K

I would say this recent trend, which is partly related to gas prices and more likely related to trackwork delays has suppressed ridership overall.

That being said I do wish very much that we could say that there's organic growth coming from the Brunswick extension. The publicly available statistics however do not support this hypothesis. In fact they reinforce quite clearly the notion that ridership is displacing northwards with out any additional growth at the Portland station from the capacity relief there.

At the same time I can say with a great deal of confidence that the parking situation in Portland has gotten worse over the years. It is possible that what we are seeing is a two fold trend of northwards displacement along suppression of demand in Portland due to the parking situation.

This would also likewise explain the urgency with which NNEPRA is pursuing a new Portland station. They have outgrown the facility and conditions are so tight there now that no amount of overflow parking will allow for future growth.

[charlesriverbranch]

...ridership is displacing northwards with out any additional growth at the Portland station from the capacity relief there.

Why is that a bad thing? It means people who formerly drove to Portland to catch the train now catch it closer to home.

The Portland station isn't convenient to much of anything (although, to be fair, if the former Union Station were still in use, it would be almost as inconvenient).

[electricron]

Why is that a bad thing? It means people who formerly drove to Portland to catch the train now catch it closer to home.

The Portland station isn't convenient to much of anything (although, to be fair, if the former Union Station were still in use, it would be almost as inconvenient).

But it is convenient to Portland' main bus station and park & ride. You do not have to drive your vehicle to it to catch the train, you can ride a bus to it. But even if you do drive to it, it has the most parking spaces in town for you to park. It is only inconvenient for those who plan to walk everywhere!

Golly, everybody visiting Disney or other large amusement parks are not expecting to park within the main gate. Likewise at major airports. Park & ride lots are called that for a reason.

[swist]

This goes back to Concord Coach policy of building their own (cheap) stations on cheap land on the outskirts of the towns they serve, regardless of what other stations may already exist. Boston South Station being an exception. The absolute worst is in Bangor where it is way out of town, and *supposedly* near the airport except that there are two 10000' runways between it and the actual airport terminal.

I'm not sure I support big bureaucracies controlling development of public transit facilities, but clearly when each provider is left on its own, things do not exactly "integrate.

Just a small example: walkways into Portland from the PTC could easily be constructed to get people through the maze of expressway interchanges, it's not that far a walk, but I would suspect there is little collaboration between Concord Coach and the Portland road planning authorities.