ME: Proposal for passenger rail to Bangor loses steam in committee

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.

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