by bwparker1
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/viewp ... rain.shtml
The high price of gasoline has brought a welcome revival of interest in alternatives to the automobile.
Our car culture has given Americans almost unlimited freedom to travel. But it's also a major contributor to land-gobbling suburban sprawl, our expanding waistlines and the pollution that causes climate change.
During the last year, gasoline and diesel prices spiked as tight global oil supplies and high demand were exacerbated by instability in the Middle East and a temporary shortage in refining capacity due to Hurricane Katrina.
One of the few winners in this high-price energy landscape has been the Downeaster. The Portland-to-Boston Amtrak line has been setting ridership records every month. Nearly 330,000 passengers boarded the train during the year ending in June. That's a 31 percent jump over 2005 and the biggest increase recorded anywhere on the Amtrak system.
So it's only appropriate that Gov. Baldacci issued an executive order last week directing the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority to work with the state on extending rail service to Brunswick and Lewiston-Auburn, with the potential for seasonal links to other Maine destinations.
The order also calls for investments....
The high price of gasoline has brought a welcome revival of interest in alternatives to the automobile.
Our car culture has given Americans almost unlimited freedom to travel. But it's also a major contributor to land-gobbling suburban sprawl, our expanding waistlines and the pollution that causes climate change.
During the last year, gasoline and diesel prices spiked as tight global oil supplies and high demand were exacerbated by instability in the Middle East and a temporary shortage in refining capacity due to Hurricane Katrina.
One of the few winners in this high-price energy landscape has been the Downeaster. The Portland-to-Boston Amtrak line has been setting ridership records every month. Nearly 330,000 passengers boarded the train during the year ending in June. That's a 31 percent jump over 2005 and the biggest increase recorded anywhere on the Amtrak system.
So it's only appropriate that Gov. Baldacci issued an executive order last week directing the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority to work with the state on extending rail service to Brunswick and Lewiston-Auburn, with the potential for seasonal links to other Maine destinations.
The order also calls for investments....
j/k