Passenger rail expansion in Maine

The State of Maine is moving forward with plans to rehab the stretch of Pan Am trackage between Portland and Brunswick, which would allow the Downeaster to connect with the Maine Eastern passenger trains.

News article from the Bangor Daily News:

http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx? ... zoneid=500

Looks like Pan Am is going to get another stretch of track rebuilt on the government's dime. I'd bet Guilford would love to get Amtrak to Bangor (without paying of course )

YES, Guilford/PanAm might get trackage rebuilt at government expense
but in return, Maine has one of the better passenger corridor operations
in the US. The trains are reliable and generally on time, in fact their on
time record is one of the best in the US.
The railroad in this case has cooperated very well with the operation of
this service. After all, you can't expect the railroad to maintain the track
to a high passenger standard when there hasn't been passenger trains on
it in many, many years.
I have had my opinions of Guilford management over the years but when
it comes to the passenger service to Portland, Maine; I think they have
kept up their end of the deal.
I believe in giving credit when credit is due.
Noel Weaver

Well, it's not exactly altruism towards Amtrak that inspires "Pan Am" to maintain the Downeaster route such as it is. Hey, it helps them to have one dedicated ROW that has more than a 30 mph speed limit and it serves their freight running interests to keep it operating up to snuff not to mention the fines they would get if they started slacking.

Though a resident critic of the Downeaster, I do believe that the operators have done a exemplary job of promoting and developing this train service. That said (and despite the promoters' statements), the service still has not met its key original stated five-year goals, namely:

* 500,000 annual ridership level
* Revenue would cover all operating expenses

I hope (but doubt) that the proponents of this will be intellectually honest with Maine's taxpayers about the extension's cost-benefit. (Consider that Maine consistently ranks first or second as having the highest tax burden of ANY state.) That passenger rail is always the answer is preposterous. Properly equipped and promoted, bus service in the Portland-Brunswick corridor (as with the BOS-POR corridor) would be more environmentally friendly and fiscally efficient - period. For those that disagree, let's see the math.

The original NNEPRA contract with Amtrak called for two four car train sets, one dinette and three coaches in each set. The middle of the day passenger loads are going to be on the light side, no matter what. Keeping that in mind, I don't think they could meet the 500,000 passenger level with the two four car train sets. They have been adding an extra coach on the weekends, at additional cost to NNEPRA, and that has helped to minimize sold out trains.

As far as revenue covering all expenses, I would be interested in seeing the original prediction of that goal. I do not know of a single Amtrak route or a commuter agency that meets all its expenses. There have been statements that the Auto Train does meet operating expenses, but that does not include capital equipment costs and in 2006 they bought a new fleet of car carriers. It is stated at times, that the Northeast Corridor meets expenses, but I am not confident that statement can be made, seeing seeing at least six commuter agencies also use portions of the corridor and with much of the corridor maintained to 125MPH running and even portions up to 150MPH, the maintenance is really expensive.

As far as more highways go, the cost of new and expanded roads is heading for the stratusphere. The original cost estimate to widen three miles of the Spaulding Turnpike (NH Rt.16) from Newington to Dover Point, including expanding the Little Bay Bridges from four lanes to eight was just over $100 million. As of last summer, the estimate had risen to $206 million and that is in current dollars and did not take into account that $3.00 or higher gasoline appears to be permanent and that the price of ashphalt, steel and concrete is skyrocketing, even with the slowdown in housing and other construction.. Over in the central part of NH, the original price to widen Interstate #93 from Manchester to the Mass. state line was $300 million about five years ago. It is now $700 million and counting and will probably not be completed until 2020, if then.

Dick

On to Bangor....then Ellsworth!!! Bring back the Bar Harbor Express!!!

Construction could start in 2008 to extend Amtrak's Downeaster service from Portland to Brunswick beginning in 2010, but only if the state commits to paying the service's operating subsidy, according to rail authority officials.

Such a commitment would allow the authority to raise the $31.5 million needed to upgrade the 29.5 miles of track between Brunswick and Portland, said Patricia Quinn, executive director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority.

Quinn said the authority could raise money for the project through a revenue bond or a low-interest loan through the Federal Railroad Administration.

She said the Maine Department of Transportation may also have funds available for the work.

The rail authority is seeking state funding of $7 million to $8 million to replace an expiring federal subsidy, which now accounts for nearly half of the Downeaster's annual $13 million operating budget.

..... continued online at http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story ... 4&ac=PHnws

How about we make sure the Downeaster is permanently funded properly before money is spent extending passenger service to the middle of nowhere... there's a thought!

On to Madawaska!!! and Presque Isle!! Bring back the Gull to St. John and Halifax.

Brunswick is hardly "the middle of nowhere".

Ron Newman wrote:Brunswick is hardly "the middle of nowhere".

It is in relative terms. 22K people live in the town, and it's not anywhere near a major city.

The money to extend the service is under the control of the State of Maine, so voters there are free to do with it what they see fit. But IMHO, if ME has capital funds to burn on passenger rail, it would be better spent between MA and Portland on any slow orders, adding double track in critical areas, adding signalling, installing CWR, more cars or upgraded cars, etc, etc. before extending the service to a relatively small town.

Securing permanent funding for the existing service before any expansion seems like a good idea.

PeakVT wrote:22K people live in the town, and it's not anywhere near a major city.

Aside from Boston, Woburn, Haverhill and Portland, what you just wrote applies to all of the towns on the Downeaster route!

Freeport is one of the most visited towns in the entire state of Maine. Talk to some of the Boston tourists who take the train to Portland, and at least half of them will say "Gee, I wish the train went just a little further north to Freeport! I'd love to go outlet shopping there!" So, extending the DE to Freeport makes a lot of sense, and I'm pretty sure they've done a few studies to back that up. But it would be silly to extend it to Freeport and stop there, rather than continue a few more miles to Brunswick and be able to meet up with the Maine Eastern. Considering the money that was put into that branch, it makes sense to bridge the "gap" between it and the Portland-Boston line.

My guess is that the timing of this'news' is an attempt to 'dangle a carrot' in the next area earmarked to be serviced by the train to add as much support as possible in the task of procuring the funding necessary to maintain the Downeaster.

s

Ron Newman wrote:Brunswick is hardly "the middle of nowhere".

Lol. What? More people live on my street than in that whole town.

Outside of a seasonal tourist train, no route outside of the Downeaster will be viable or survive up there. Sorry Mainers....