Downeaster plans extension of passenger rail service to Rockland
Courtesy / Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority
The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, the public transportation authority created in 1995 to oversee the Downeaster passenger rail service between Maine and Boston and points within Maine, is exploring a seasonal and weekend-only extension of service up to Rockland.
The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, the public transportation authority created in 1995 to oversee the Downeaster passenger rail service between Maine and Boston and points within Maine, is exploring a seasonal and weekend-only extension of service up to Rockland.
NNEPRA announced the initiative at its annual meeting Monday night as one of its goals for 2018.
The “Downeaster Coastal Connection” pilot program would utilize the Rockland Branch rail line previously used by Maine Eastern Raiload’s excursion trains between Brunswick and Rockland — a service that ended in 2015 — and would be an extension of existing schedules, using existing equipment.
The seasonal and weekend-only service would provide Downeaster transportation to Bath, Wiscasset, Newcastle and Rockland, according to NNEPRA’s news release.
Further details, including a schedule of public meetings to gather input from communities along the line will be announced soon, NNEPRA’s release stated.
Previous vendor had 12-year run
Maine Eastern Railroad’s 12-year run of providing a summer tourist train on the state-owned Rockland Branch line ended when the Maine Department of Transportation selected Central Maine and Quebec Railway to take over freight service on the line with a 10-year lease.
The new operator opted not to provide passenger service between Brunswick and Rockland.
In its unsuccessful bid to renew its lease, Maine Eastern Railroad had proposed year-round passenger service connecting with Amtrak’s Boston-to-Brunswick Downeaster line, but would have required a state subsidy to do so, the Bangor Daily News reported in December 2015.
NNEPRA reported banner year
The proposal to extend the Downeaster line to Rockland at least seasonally and on weekends comes after NNEPRA reported ridership of 511,422 on its Brunswick-to-Boston run for the fiscal year 2017 that ended on June 30, 2017. That tally exceeded FY 2016 ridership and the FY 2017 goals by 8.8%.
Ticket revenues of $8.62 million for the same period exceed FY2017 goals and FY2016 performance by 7%. All-time ridership and records were exceeded in the months of July and September in 2016 as well as January, February, April and June of 2017, according to NNEPRA's news release.
FY 2017’s ridership was just shy of Downeaster’s highest ridership of 518,572 in FY 2014, when gas prices averaged about $3.60 per gallon.
Although Boston is the primary destination for Downeaster riders, there have been increases in visitors travelling to Maine as well, NNEPRA reported in July. Ridership on trains typically used by visitors have shown the largest increases, and trends indicate that travelers are coming for more than just one day.
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