Latest news with #LD487
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
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Effort to explore passenger train to Bangor derailed after senators leave bill in limbo
Passengers board an Amtrak train at the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania station. (Photo b y Peter Hall/Capital-Star) Despite the impassioned pleas of a handful of lawmakers, the Maine Legislature essentially killed a proposal to further explore extending passenger rail to Bangor. After multiple failed votes, the Senate decided Thursday to indefinitely postpone LD 487, which rail advocates rallied behind this session as a means to bring passenger trains beyond southern Maine. The House of Representatives rejected the proposal Tuesday with a 93-52 vote, but the upper chamber has been at an impasse since senators were divided over the measure. 'This has been indefinitely postponed for 20-plus years,' said Sen. Joe Baldacci (D-Penobscot) on the Senate floor Thursday, referring to the years-long effort to expand passenger rail in the state. This bill sought to have the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority apply for federal funding to identify a potential passenger rail corridor from Portland through Auburn, Lewiston, Waterville, Bangor and ending in Orono. Among the members of the Legislature's Transportation Committee, only one supported it with the other 12 in opposition. During the House debate, Rep. Lydia Crafts (D-Newcastle), who co-chairs the Transportation Committee, admitted there is public interest in expanding mass transit in the state, but said LD 487 doesn't align with the state's rail plan. She argued it wouldn't make financial sense for the state to invest in the line and eventually subsidize the cost of tickets because a propensity study indicated that the particular route would have low ridership. Rather, she said that study recommended the state invest in flexible, accessible bus service such as the two-year pilot project currently underway, which runs between Lewison and Portland. Sen. Brad Farrin (R-Somerset) made similar points on the Senate floor, saying that the state will continue to grow rail at a 'reasonable and responsible' rate if it follows the plan it has in place. However, Rep. Tavis Hasenfus (D-Readfield), the bill's sponsor, said the propensity study is a couple years old and doesn't account for improvements that have since been made to those tracks, which could reduce costs for the state. He also said it didn't account for all potential riders, only those who would have taken a car. But talking about what the state would have to spend is getting ahead of what LD 487 sought to do, Hasenfus argued. As he explained on the House floor, his proposal simply asked the Department of Transportation to apply for the federal funding to investigate whether a passenger rail line to northern Maine is feasible. The 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. 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. 'The train is literally about to leave the station and if we don't get on board now, we may never have the opportunity in the future,' Hasenfus said Tuesday. Cost shouldn't be the barrier that some see it as, Baldacci said during Senate floor discussions earlier this week, because the state should have been making passenger rail investments gradually over time. He said the whole state deserves to be connected and has a right to transportation options that already exist in southern Maine. LD 487 doesn't call for a significant financial investment by the state at this point, he said, it just asks lawmakers to utilize the options available to move the process forward. Rep. Karen Montell (D-Gardiner) spoke in support of the bill, arguing that increased train options could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and road maintenance costs. She said that passenger rail could help build a Maine that is more 'future ready.' Rep. Laura Supica (D-Bangor) agreed, saying that central and northern Maine could use passenger rail infrastructure so people can have easier access to jobs and education. She said this is especially true for her community of Bangor, which can feel like 'a bit of a vortex' and disconnected from the rest of the state. Hasenfus also cited a study the Rail Passengers Association published earlier this month that found extending the Amtrak Downeaster service to Bangor could generate more than $60 million in annual economic benefits for all 16 counties and draw more than 260,000 in the first year of service. Having ridden it multiple times himself, Sen. James Libby (R-Cumberland) called the Downeaster a 'tremendous service.' Though he acknowledged it could ultimately cost money, he said he supported the measure as expanded rail service would be an asset for towns like Waterville, where he works as a professor at Thomas College. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
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Portland-to-Auburn railway trail project advances in Legislature
May 27—AUGUSTA — The House of Representatives on Tuesday resoundingly supported a plan that would replace an abandoned rail line connecting Portland and Auburn with a multiuse trail. While lawmakers endorsed the plan in a preliminary 118-26 vote that indicates it will be approved, the project would still need to be funded before any work could begin. Opponents said it would cost about $1 million per mile. Critics of the plan argued Tuesday that the rail infrastructure, which provides a key connection between the Portland waterfront and Montreal, should be preserved in case funding becomes available for future rail service. But proponents argued that restoring rail service has so far proven unfeasible, and that a multiuse trail would provide a safe and healthy alternative for cyclists and pedestrians. The proposal, which faces additional votes in each chamber, divided House Democrats, 13 of whom voted against it. Rep. Karen Montell, D-Gardiner, opposed the proposal, arguing that the trail should be built alongside the existing rail line, rather than replace it. She said a state law requires the preservation of railways to preserve rail corridors for future rail use and limits other activities to temporary, or "interim," uses. "It is my opinion that removing rail tracks would not fit the definition of interim," Montell said, adding that other portions of the rail line are used for freight. "A more sensible solution would be to build a trail along this rail line. ... Rails and trails together could create more economic growth ... than just trails alone." Proponents of LD 30 noted that the proposal won the support of communities along the route. Rep. Amy Kuhn said the project was also recommended by a rail use advisory committee, which included representatives of affected communities and stakeholders. Kuhn said efforts to override the recommendations would subvert a process put in place by lawmakers to consider such proposals. She said the advisory group, which spent months receiving public feedback and studying the proposal, exists to balance the needs of trail and rail proponents, each of which have strong advocates. Kuhn argued against a proposal from Montell that would prohibit the use of state funds for the project and allow a business to delay the project by submitting a proposal to use the rail line. "It is very concerning to me that after a thorough and thoughtful process, which was commanded by the state, that a majority report of community stakeholders can be overturned by a last-minute amendment," Kuhn said. Rep. Lydia Crafts, D-Newcastle, said the proposal does not include any state funding. "This is a many years-long project that's before us that will include significant fundraising, if it's able to move forward," Crafts said. Lawmakers also endorsed a similar project for converting about 29 miles of rail line between Gardiner and Brunswick and a 12-mile stretch along the Calais branch into multiuse trails. They voted against LD 487, a proposal that would have authorized the Maine Department of Transportation to seek federal funding to begin studying an extension of passenger rail service from Portland to Orono. Rep. Dan Ankeles, D-Brunswick, said adding more multiuse trails could help address the number of bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities by giving people safer commuter routes. He said LD 29 would represent "a major advancement for public health and safety." "Make no mistake — the best and highest use of these failed rail lines are these trails," Ankeles said. "If we fail to adopt this report, we will not get rail with trail. What we will actually get is a guarantee that nothing will ever happen at all on these lines except decay, abandonment and the squandering of potential in Washington, Sagadahoc and Kennebec counties. In short, economic blight." Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
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Proposal for passenger rail to Bangor loses steam in committee
Apr. 24—A renewed effort to restore passenger rail service from Portland to Bangor was soundly rejected Thursday by the Legislature's transportation committee, following a similar failed attempt last year. The committee voted 9-1 against LD 487, recommending that it "ought not to pass" when the bill goes before the House and Senate in the coming weeks. The bill would direct the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA), operator of the Amtrak Downeaster, to apply for at least $500,000 in federal funding to develop a proposal for passenger service between Portland and Orono, just north of Bangor. The bill's opponents, including NNEPRA and the Maine Department of Transportation, say passenger service to Bangor would be too slow, attract too few riders and cost too much to establish and operate. Its supporters dispute all of those points and say the expansion is a practical and necessary investment that would share the environmental and economic benefits of passenger service with more rural parts of Maine. Committee members responded to guidance from Maine rail officials, who said that the project likely wouldn't qualify for federal funding and warned that railroad grants are in jeopardy under President Donald Trump. "There is a great deal of uncertainty at this time," said Patricia Quinn, NNEPRA's executive director. Rep. Lydia Crafts, D-Newcastle, committee co-chair, said pursuing passenger service to Bangor now would be a "distraction" from the state's current passenger rail goals, which include moving Portland's train station and adding a train station in West Falmouth. Rep. Karen Montell, D-Gardiner, was the only committee member to support LD 487, saying that it would fund a study to show passenger service is warranted from Portland to Bangor. Several work session participants said the bill wouldn't fund such a study. Rep. Tavis Hasenfus, D-Readfield, proposed LD 487 after a similar bill, pitched by Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, was narrowly defeated last year. The Senate approved LD 860, 23-11, but the House voted it down, 80-64. Baldacci is co-sponsor of the current bill. Rail advocates still hope LD 487 can overcome cost and ridership concerns to win Legislative support, similar to the effort that brought the Downeaster to southern Maine nearly 24 years ago. The Maine Rail Group has commissioned a new feasibility study by the national Rail Passengers Association, which members say will show the ridership potential of extending passenger service to Bangor. The study will be completed by mid-May. "We believe that it will provide valuable information about extending Amtrak passenger service to Orono through Lewiston, Waterville and Bangor," the group said in an emailed statement. "It should be available to all legislators in time for votes during the current session." The bill would provide $40,000 to prepare an application to the Federal Railroad Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. 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. Proponents of the new bill say opposition last year was based on recommendations from an advisory group and a "propensity study" that didn't consider Lewiston when factoring traveler interest. That's because the previous bill initially considered a different route that passed through Brunswick and would have bypassed Lewiston. Excluding Maine's second-largest city was a mistake, expansion supporters say, noting the importance of connecting the state's three largest municipalities: Portland (population 69,104), Lewiston (38,404) and Bangor (31,628). Bruce White, a former legislator who served on the transportation committee last year, testified in favor of the legislation on March 6. "This is a new proposal," White told the committee. "This route has never been studied before. Those supporting this bill are confident that this study will show ridership sufficient to qualify for federal implementation funding." Supporters say it's unfair to deny passenger service to central and northern Maine, 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. They also point out that 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 10-25 mph. The improved tracks would allow passenger trains to travel up to 60 mph, according to Federal Railroad Administration standards. Nate Moulton, director of freight operations at Maine Department of Transportation, said a study completed in February 2023 estimated that it would cost $375 million to $538 million in equipment and track improvements to expand passenger service to Bangor, depending on which lines were used. Moulton also said the current Downeaster service covers about 50% of its costs with passenger fares and requires an annual public subsidy of about $16 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. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
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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
