M&E to start tourist train between Brunswick and Agusta,

AUGUSTA — Seasonal passenger trains could be clanging beside long stretches of the Kennebec River between Brunswick and Augusta in two years. "In a couple of years, absolutely. We think there's a market up there," said Gordon Fuller, vice president and chief operating officer of Morristown & Erie Railway Inc. of Morristown, N.J.

The company, operating as Maine Eastern Railroad, launched an excursion service this week between Brunswick and Rockland. That ride, 57 miles each way, takes two hours and 15 minutes.

The Brunswick-to-Augusta run covers 34 miles each way on a rail bed built beside the Kennebec from Richmond to the capital city.

"I wouldn't want to run less than three cars (including a dining/lounge car)," said Fuller. The seasonal passenger train could approach 40 mph and run on Wednesdays and Saturdays, he said.

The Brunswick-to-Rockland trip features restored stainless-steel railcars from the 1940s and 1950s that seat 54 to 58 passengers. A dining car from British Columbia is stocked with food and beverages.

A Maine Eastern train likely will travel the Brunswick-Augusta route sometime in late August or early September to inspect the tracks and rail bed. Fuller said some minor work may be needed.

Ron Roy of the Office of Passenger Transportation in the state Department of Transportation said the rails and beds are in good shape between Brunswick and Augusta. Approximately 6.5 miles of the northern end of the railroad tracks run beside the popular Kennebec River Rail Trail from Gardiner to Augusta.

Morristown & Erie is in the third year of a 10-year contract to lease the state-owned Brunswick-Augusta and Brunswick-Rockland lines.

The Augusta City Council and Mayor William Dowling already have endorsed year-round passenger train service to the city. On March 3, 2003, the council adopted a resolution encouraging DOT to support a Brunswick-to-Augusta route.

It's certainly a lovely stretch for an excursion, between the river and the picturesque towns.

It's also good that the state is putting the rails it owns to use.

Now if they could only get the link between Brunswick and Portland up and running.

This was all pretty much envisioned in the mid-ninties by the state's transportation secretary, and I wish I could remember who it was becasue they deserve a lot of credit for thier vision.

Here's another idea. Why not just give up on getting
the Downeaster up to Brunswick, and instead run
the excursion trains down to Portland? That way, you
could bypass Amtrak completely, and have the trains
contracted through the Maine East railroad. With two
trains running, Augusta and Brunswick, that might be
enough for Maine DOT to consider doing the work
from Portland to Brunswick. I think this would make
more sense anyway; Portland is a natural rail junction
and division point; south of Portland, most people are
going to and from Boston, while north of Portland
most people coming up from the south for tourism.

Certainly the Portland - Brunswick segment is the missing link in any future success these rail schemes may have. No matter which agency controls the trains that run over it, that section is vital. Portland would be a natural point to change trains/make connections. Just as the Braintree, Mass. location used to be the connection point between the MBTA Red Line trains and those of the late, lamented, Cape Cod & Hyannis RR to the Cape in the 1980s. That service to the Cape was much like the Maine Eastern now offers to Rockland.... nice air conditioned equipment, fast trains on good track, great destination bypassing crowded roads. But remember, that operation ended after a couple years when the money was withdrawn. The Maine operation could end just as easily if the "winds" change in the future. The ,"I don't want my taxes spent on this nonsense", crowd is always waiting in the wings to drop the curtain on fledgling operations like this. The sooner the link to Portland is made, and routes expanded, the harder it will be to kill it. In the meanwhile, ride the trains, don't just chase them and take pictures, and urge your friends to do likewise.

I ride the downeaster often, I have taken it five times this year already. I want to ride the new service from brunswick too. If one has no car how do I get from Portland to brunswick?

Would be intresting to see when ME goes up to Augusta (From what that article said) this August, may have to keep an eye out for that.

-Justin

It would be good if a dedicated shuttle were initiated from the Portland train/bus terminal to the Maine Eastern "station" at Brunswick. Perhaps the "powers that be" should be pointed in that direction. It would be a good intermim arrangement until the track can be made available to connect the two points.

Is there any trailways buses that go from either Portland or Boston right to Brunswick?

Concord Trailways goes from the Portland train station to Brunswick several times a day every day. My cousin frequently takes the Downeaster from Boston to Portland, and then transfers to a Concord bus and takes that from Portland to Belfast.

Cool, thanks. I will have to try this trip sometime this year.

Now if that Trailways bus could be diverted into the Maine Eastern station parking lot (right off the main drag in Brunswick) that would be a plus.

Also, the M/E needs signage in Brunswick pointing the way to the train stop. It is centrally located, but in a hidden area. Badly in need of signs in the other towns where the train stops to pick up passengers.... Bath and Wiscasset.

There's plenty of parking at the terminal in Brunswick.

All of this is good, but needs some final tuning to be better.

Check out my soon to be transit trip. I tried to work in Amtrak but I be waiting around way to long in Portland.

Saturday:

36/37/35 bus to Forest Hills

Orange Line to Red Line

Red line to South Station

12:01 Concord Trailways bus to Rockland, ME 4:15pm

5:30pm Maine Eastern Railroad to Brunswick, ME 7:40pm

OVERNIGHT STAY Brunswick >>> Sunday

8:20am Greyhound bus to Portland 8:50am

9:45am METRO city bus to train station 9:50am

10:30am Concord trailways bus back to South Station by 12:25pm

red > orange > 36/37/35 back home.