LET’S CELEBRATE!
IT ALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 15, 2001
AND NOW THE DOWNEASTER IS
ABOUT TO BEGIN ITS FOURTH YEAR
OF SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE OF
NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND
· Since its inception in 2001 Downeaster service has been run by Amtrak by contract with the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA). In a typical year, Amtrak spends about $3,182,000 for goods and services in Maine. Total wages of Amtrak employees living in Maine are over $2,500,000.
· Four Downeaster round trips are run each day between Portland and Boston, with stops at Old Orchard Beach (seasonally), Saco and Wells in Maine, and at Dover, Exeter, and Durham in New Hampshire, and at Haverhill and Woburn (with connections to Logan) in Massachusetts. Efforts are being made to add another round trip per day, making a total of five.
· During 2004, representatives of TrainRiders/Northeast orchestrated meetings with community and business leaders and key members of the Maine Legislature from Freeport and Brunswick to discuss and plan the expansion of Downeaster service north through Yarmouth to Freeport and Brunswick. This service would connect with Maine eastern Railroad service between Brunswick and Rockland. This year, Maine Eastern ran excursion trains between Brunswick and Rockland during the lobster Festival and on weekends in September and October.
· Also in 2004, we arranged to introduce members of the Governor’s Council of the State of New Hampshire to the Downeaster with a special train trip in an effort to include New Hampshire in helping with financial support of the passenger rail service.
· Plans are also in the works to extend Downeaster service through Yarmouth to Auburn/Lewiston and Montreal.
If you would like to help us continue our efforts to keep passenger rail service a reality why not join Trainriders Northeast.
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