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Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rail advocates renew push for passenger service to Bangor
Mar. 4—Narrowly defeated last year, rail advocates have returned with refreshed legislation aimed at restoring passenger service from Portland to Bangor. This time they hope to overcome opposition over how much it would cost and whether enough people would ride it and win state support, similar to the effort that brought the Amtrak Downeaster to southern Maine nearly 24 years ago. Previous opponents, including the Maine Department of Transportation, are expected to continue their fight. Proponents see passenger expansion as a practical and necessary investment that would share the opportunity for economic development that rail delivers with more rural parts of Maine. At the same time, it would provide sustainable mass transportation for residents, workers, commuters, tourists heading for Acadia National Park or waterfront concerts in Bangor and students attending colleges in Lewiston, Waterville, Bangor and Orono. "The track is already there. The opportunity is there," said Rep. Tavis Hasenfus, D-Readfield, who submitted the bill. "We should leave no stone unturned to make it happen." The bill, scheduled for a public hearing Thursday, would direct the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA), operator of the Amtrak Downeaster, to apply for federal seed money. The funds would be used to develop a proposal for passenger service from Portland through Auburn, Lewiston, Waterville and Bangor to Orono on the CSX Corp. freight line. Other stations would be added as passenger service developed. LD 487 is a slight retooling of a previous bill, LD 860, introduced by Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, that was rejected last year. The Senate approved Baldacci's bill, 23-11; the House voted it down, 80-64. The previous bill also drew strong opposition from officials with the MDOT, Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce and NNEPRA, who testified that passenger service to Bangor would be too slow, attract too few riders and cost too much to establish and operate. But proponents of the new bill say opposition last year was based on recommendations from an advisory group that didn't consider Lewiston when factoring traveler interest. That's because proponents and the advisory group initially considered a different rail corridor that passed through Brunswick and would have bypassed Lewiston. Excluding Maine's second-largest city was a mistake from the start, Baldacci said, noting the importance of connecting its three largest municipalities: Portland (population 69,104), Lewiston (38,404) and Bangor (31,628). It's also unfair to deny passenger service to central and northern Maine, he said, especially after investing more than $50 million ($89.7 million today, when adjusted for inflation) to bring the Downeaster from Boston to Portland in December 2001 — and continuing to spend $17 million annually to subsidize the service that now extends to Brunswick. "We're denying the same economic benefit to the northern half of the state and two of Maine's largest cities that was granted to our coastal communities," said Baldacci, the new bill's co-sponsor. "It's short-sighted, really, for the MDOT to say they've got enough to take care of." MASS TRANSIT AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS LD 487 is scheduled for a hearing Thursday before the Legislature's transportation committee. It would provide $20,000 to apply for as much as $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop a proposal for passenger rail between Portland and Orono. Hasenfus grew up in nearby Winthrop, where the CSX line, formerly the Maine Central Railroad, brought summer visitors to boat and swim at a resort on Maranacook Lake in the early 1900s. The railroad ended passenger service in 1960. "A lot of my constituents are interested in having passenger rail service again and the economic benefit that would come to communities along the corridor," Hasenfus said. "It would be a shame not to give this a really good look." Hasenfus and other proponents said they expect MDOT officials and others to resurrect their opposition, but they question old feasibility data that doesn't account for a stop in Lewiston or the impact of recent track upgrades made by CSX, which would make passenger service faster, more attractive and a less expensive proposition. CSX Transportation, which operates on 481 miles of track and maintains 269 public grade crossings in Maine, has made rail improvements in the last two years allowing freight train speeds to increase to 40 mph, up from 10 to 25 mph. The improved tracks would allow passenger trains to travel up to 60 mph, according to Federal Railroad Administration standards. MDOT OPPOSITION PERSISTS In testifying against the previous bill, Nate Moulton, transportation planning director at MDOT, said a study completed in February 2023 estimated that it would cost $375 million to $902 million in equipment and track improvements to expand passenger service to Bangor, depending on which lines were used. Moulton said current Downeaster service covers about 50% of its costs with passenger fares and requires an annual public subsidy over $17 million. He noted that passenger service to Bangor would parallel interstates 95 and 295, where commuters can travel up to 70 mph in personal vehicles or buses. He referred to an MDOT pilot commuter bus service that started last year between Lewiston-Auburn and Portland. "Given the relatively low transit demand, low population densities, high capital and operating costs, low climate and equity benefits, and extensive transportation needs statewide, (MDOT) has determined that it would be imprudent to continue the study of extending passenger rail to Bangor at this time," Moulton said. MDOT didn't respond to a request to interview Moulton but indicated via email that its opposition hasn't shifted. It also expects the cost of establishing passenger service to Bangor would be even higher than previously estimated because of inflation. That doesn't fit the department's planning model. "In our regular transportation planning, (MDOT) places a priority on pragmatic improvements that balance the department's limited financial resources with anticipated benefits to the greatest number of people," said Paul Merrill, department spokesperson. SUPPORT FOR PASSENGER EXPANSION Notable support for the previous bill came from the Portland City Council and Mayor Mark Dion. "It has become clear that a guiding vision of the future use of critical state corridors is necessary, for everything from passenger transportation to freight to active transportation connections," Dion said. "The actions included by this legislation would provide the high-level analysis needed to move the state of Maine on a path toward sustainable community development and away from auto-centric planning." The transportation committee also heard support from residents of Portland, Lewiston, Waterville and Sherry Foster of Bangor, who said passenger service to her city would create jobs, promote economic development and allow "more eco-friendly travel," especially for people who don't drive or can't afford cars. The Maine Rail Group plans to support passenger rail on the CSX line, as it did before, said Doug Rooks, spokesman for the nonprofit that promotes rail service in Maine and New England. "That is the best railroad track in Maine and it's the most direct connection to all major population centers in the state," Rooks said. "We believe people would pay for the service, and that's what we want to test." Other bills submitted this session would allow the MDOT to remove tracks and build recreation trails on 33.5 miles of a state-owned rail line between Brunswick and Augusta (LD 29) and on nearly 10 miles between Portland and Yarmouth (LD 30 and 511). A bill submitted by Sen. Rotundo, D-Lewiston, and cosponsored by Baldacci, LD 472 would direct the Maine-Canadian Legislative Advisory Commission and the New England and Eastern Canada Legislative Commission to examine restoring passenger rail from Boston to Montreal. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Proponents moving full steam ahead with passenger rail expansion efforts in Maine
Rail ridership on the Amtrak Downeaster line that extends from Boston to Brunswick saw a 9% increase between 2023 and 2024, according to Amtrak data. (Stock photo by Getty Images) Though not enough lawmakers were on board with a proposal last session to study a potential passenger rail line from Portland to Bangor, proponents are back at it arguing that now is the time to explore the possibility of expanding passenger rail in Maine. 'This is the year,' said Doug Rooks, a consultant with the Maine Rail Group, a nonprofit seeking to expand railroad service in the state. 'If it's ever going to happen, this is probably the year it will start.' An emergency proposal from Rep. Tavis Hasenfus (D-Readfield), LD 487, is seen as the first step in the expansion. It seeks to direct the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority to apply for federal funding to identify a potential passenger rail corridor from Portland through Auburn, Lewiston, Waterville, Bangor and ending in Orono. The study could also consider other appropriate station locations. The bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Joe Baldacci (D-Penobscot), who sponsored the similar proposal that failed last session. Though it wasn't recommended by a majority of the Legislature's Transportation Committee and failed in the House, that bill did pass in the Senate. Like Baldacci's bill, Hasenfus' is a bipartisan proposal with Republican co-sponsors. Though the public hearing for Hasenfus' bill isn't scheduled until March 6, the Maine Department of Transportation testified in opposition to the study last session. At the time, the full text of Baldacci's bill wasn't available, but the department still said it was concerned with the intent of the proposal. In its testimony, the department said a propensity study that wrapped up in 2023 showed that expanding passenger rail would require high capital investment and ongoing subsidizing to compensate for low ridership. Given that, the department argued it would be 'imprudent' to continue studying passenger rail to Bangor. In response to the latest proposal, Communications Director Paul Merrill said the MaineDOT prioritizes 'pragmatic improvements that balance the department's limited financial resources with anticipated benefits to the greatest number of people.' He added that capital costs for a passenger rail project would likely be even higher today than the study predicted due to inflation. The new proposal specifically asks for the state to apply to the Federal Railroad Administration's corridor identification and development program, which is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The sweeping Biden-era law that brought $2.5 billion for more than 300 projects in Maine is set to expire in 2026, which is why Hasenfus' bill is so urgent, Rooks explained. Meeting the deadline for this application cycle is vital because the $1.2 trillion law isn't guaranteed to be renewed, especially since President Donald Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office pausing the disbursement of funds under the law. To provide sufficient time to complete the application, the bill includes an emergency clause that would allow it to take effect before the typical 90 days after adjournment. However, that clause also means the bill will need the support of two-thirds of the Legislature. The previous bill passed the Senate 22-12, which falls short of what this year's proposal will need. Other related bills slated to go before the Transportation Committee this session include proposals to replace portions of existing railroad tracks near Portland and Brunswick with pedestrian trails. But given the time constraints, Rooks said the Maine Rail Group is 'laser focused' on LD 487. Fear of low ridership has been a roadblock for passenger rail expansion efforts in the past, including Baldacci's bill last year. The department's propensity study concluded it would be more advantageous to improve public transportation with buses. As such, the department worked with Concord Coach Lines to add more round trips between Bangor and Portland, increasing it to six daily, Merrill said. Additionally, last July the department started a two-year pilot project for a commuter bus service between Portland and Lewiston/Auburn to better understand the demand for more enhanced public transportation between those cities, Merrill explained. In October, ridership for that new bus line neared 2,200, but has slightly decreased every month since, according to data Merrill shared with Maine Morning Star. 'The highway corridors between Portland and Lewiston/Auburn and between Portland and Bangor are uncongested, predictable, have traffic speeds of up to 70 mph, and provide for efficient travel times for personal vehicles and bus services,' Merrill wrote in an email. However, Maine Rail Group President Peter Cole looks at the popularity of the Amtrak Downeaster line that extends from Boston through southern Maine to Brunswick as an indicator of rail ridership ridership interest. That line saw a 9% increase in ridership between 2023 and 2024, according to Amtrak data. While that line is concentrated in the most densely populated portion of the state, there is interest farther north, too. After Matt Gilley rode the Downeaster from Maine to Boston for the first time last summer, he wondered why he would ever make that drive again. Thanks to that experience and some inspiration from a train hobbyist friend, Gilley started to think of passenger rail as a solution worth exploring for what he described as a 'front burner issue' at Thomas College in Waterville, where he works. Thomas College sits a couple of miles southwest of downtown with virtually no public transit options. Without a car, it's challenging for students to move around the city, let alone the rest of the state, Gilley said. Bringing trains to Waterville could be transformational not only for helping students connect with other parts of Maine and New England, but also as a way to improve recruitment and campus life, he added. 'It checks a lot of boxes here that right now we're struggling to find solutions to,' he added. As program director for the Centers of Innovation at Thomas, Gilley is responsible for curating projects for the President's Innovation Challenge, which allows students to work alongside professionals on real life problems. For this school year, he connected with the Maine Rail Group to develop a project for students to learn more about efforts to expand passenger rail in the state. Students participating in the project have learned about the history of passenger rail in Maine, what it took to bring it to places like Saco and other parts of the state, and exploring what role it could play in the state's transportation future, Gilley explained. Through their work, the students saw enthusiasm for increased train travel options throughout the state and saw an opportunity to try to move the needle on the issue by bringing interested parties together. That's what sparked the idea for a rail summit where experts, officials and others working on the passenger rail effort can join together on the school's campus to discuss how train travel affects economic development, the environment and tourism. Gilley said students from Thomas and neighboring Colby College will also speak at the April event about how expanded passenger rail would affect them. In the meantime, Gilley said students plan on attending the public hearing for LD 487 on March 6 and participating in a day of action promoting rail at the State House later in March. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
