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].
This is good news for the taxpayers. Once again those that have some common sense in the state legislature have defeated a stupid proposal for passenger service to Bangor. The market is practically nonexistent. The private bus company that runs Bangor – Boston service has shut down their bus station in Lewiston (second largest city in Maine) due to a lack of ridership. The amount of money that it would take to revitalize the line to passenger speeds (79 mph) would not be justified by the low ridership. Traffic on I95 is not that heavy and people want to drive their cars and have abandoned the passenger train since the mid-1960s. I doubt if they will ever come back. Keep what we have in the Downeaster but forget the rest. I live in the Augusta area and most people I know drive to Portland and take the Downeaster or Concord Coach from there if they are not going to drive the whole way.
Charles,
CSX passes thru Orono enroute end of their system at Mattawamkeag. Former Pan Am. UMaine is the attraction in Orono for rail svc. Seems like CSX has been upgrading track since purchase day one. Their gandy dancer brigades are in southern ME as I type. Rails, ties & ballast pass thru Wells ME pretty regularly. Route is direct from South Portland Rigby Yard thru Lewistion, Waterville etc. Used by CSX M426 and M427; their daily manifest from Selkirk to Vacationland and return.
Dan
Does anyone know the condition of the rail line to Orono? Is this CSX?
Also is the route into Portland direct?
My questions are only curiosity as this train isn’t going to happen.