AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s House of Representatives has killed a proposal to study passenger service between Portland and Orono, Maine, the second straight year that the legislature has opted not to study a potential expansion.
LD 487 — presented in both houses by a mix of Democratic and Republican sponsors — called for the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, operator of the Downeaster, to apply for funding to study a Portland-Lewiston-Bangor-Orono route. But the House voted it down by a 93-52 margin on Tuesday, May 27, the Bangor Daily News reports. Proponents had argued that the funding available under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law might be eliminated under the Trump administration.
The measure had bipartisan opposition as well as support, the newspaper reports, with opponents including Democratic Gov. Janet Mills arguing improved bus service is a better option. The state’s Department of Transportation worked with a private bus company to increase service between Portland and Bangor earlier this year.
The Daily News also reports that last week, Mills allowed another passenger rail bill to become law without her signature. It calls for two legislative groups to examine restoration of passenger service between Boston and Montreal. The commissions must provide a report on the concept to the legislature by Dec. 3, 2025.
Last year, a similar bill — calling for a study of service between Portland and Bangor — was defeated by an 82-63 House vote [see “Maine legislature votes down study …,” News Wire, March 29, 2024].
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