$35 million grant will allow Amtrak to expand train service to Brunswick
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Portland Press Herald
$35 million grant will allow Amtrak to expand train service to Brunswick
By TOM BELL, Staff Writer January 28, 2010
The Obama administration plans to allocate $35 million in federal stimulus funds to expand Amtrak’s Boston-to-Portland passenger rail service north to Brunswick.
. . .
“It’s just like the old days,” said Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine.
She said the project will create 200 jobs, and work will start immediately. The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority has agreements with the train’s operator, Amtrak, and the track’s owner, PanAm Railways, which will do the rail work.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=311808&ac=PHnws
First, I am in support of the concept of expanding service north of Portland. I actually think this project will be good for midcoast Maine. Having said that, I have these comments:
"[Pingree]said the project will create 200 jobs". It will create 200 temporary jobs to upgrade the track. The actually delivery of rail service will create additional opportunities for jobs, but it will not actually create more than a couple permanent jobs.
The plan is to run the train through the Woodfords/Oakdale neighborhood to Morrill’s Corner and than up through Falmouth and beyond. There will be 14 at grade crossing between the Sewall Street terminal and the Falmouth line including Congress Street, Brighton Avenue, Forest Avenue and Allen Avenue. It will also rumble through the Woodford’s neighborhood right next to many homes.
There is an alternative route. That is to go up the Mountain Division line to the Maine Turnpike and then follow the turnpike to the Falmouth line where it can connect with the PanAm line. This idea has been presented at meeting and elected silence from the engineers and planners.
One would think they are more afraid of the Maine Turnpike Authority than they are of the Guilford Rail Company.
Although this option will take additional engineering, it will be far less disruptive to the local neighborhoods and traffic around Portland.
Steven Scharf
SCSMedia@aol.com
Steven, those sound like good suggestions for the neighborhoods that would otherwise be negatively affected. It will be interesting to see if any of the abutters come forward with similar requests for a different route.
In the old days, at least one could scavenge for fallen coal, and perhaps sell a few peanuts and some lemonade to the passengers at crossings. That partially made up for the noise, dirt, and disruption.
These days, there's no coal to be had, and any selling of unlicensed, unregulated comestibles that haven't been thoroughly vetted by the regulatory authorities would land the hapless peasants in the Big House.
Meanwhile, the Stimulus Slurry continues to flow from the DC coffers....
Somebody wake up Gerzofsky; it's time for him to do his strutting peacock gig.
Or is he out getting that big fine Cadillac of his serviced? Or his Tony Lamas buffed up?
Hey Chellie, in the old days they used horse's also to pull the wagon, not tax payers. But I expect to see you riding the train back and forth to DC.lol
I like the idea of extending train service further north. I have no idea if this is a good deal or not, on the $35 million. I'd wager it goes way up from there.
However, I think this is a good reminder that if you buy property along a railroad right of way, regardless of how active the railroad is at the time, you should be cognizant of the fact that it is still a viable business and that trains may run again one day in your back yard.
PS If you have ever ridden Amtrak outside of the Northeast, you've no doubt seen that all over the country, the trains go through yards and at-grade crossings all the time. In some places the tracks run right down the middle of main street through towns and small cities.
I understand the change might be unpleasant, but the tracks and crossings in your neighborhood should have been a sign that this was possible.
It will also increase the drug trafficking into the Mid Coast area from MA.
Really? Wow! Maybe we should shut the roads down, THAT will slow it down even more.
Ah. So, instead of the peanuts and lemonade, that's the new product point.
Hope it's successfull....reserving further comments.
Chances of getting stopped by a police roadblock are greater in a car than on a train. Like I said I am all for it just make sure ticket prices are funding the ride not the taxpayer. And is this service necessary or are we just creating more union jobs? If it cannot pay for itself then you would be better off tossing dollar bills off the bridge, at least you would know where your money went.
I’ve been on the train several times and the late train out of Boston is the most interesting to someone paying attention to the passengers. Young teens wearing their colors and getting off the train at the stops with nothing around but trees, but close enough to Saco to make a drop. Some of them know better than to travel the highways, that’s were all the profilers are patrolling.
What do I know I’m just a stupid Corrections Officer who knows nothing about the under world.
Ahhhhh!
Business model mirroring other rail services.
Boston 6 plus million in metro area subsidized by State!
NY 6 million aday moving around NYC/NJ subsidized by City Stae County!
Maine 1.3 million people total in entire state.
Fiqure it out!
At last the idea of going around Marginal Way in Portland has apparently died !
Soon LA and Augusta will be going after more for futrure trains there.
If it comes to Augusta at least we can run them out of town on a rail!!!!
Stephen, I hope you've made your concerns known to the constabulary in Saco. Thank you for the information. Very interesting.
I don't want to hijack this thread but. Several years ago in a little town in MA we lived near a active railroad track. One day a couple of cars derailed(the track was in such poor condition that the speed was about 20MPH) and load and behold the locals ate ham for months on end.
Relating to this thread. Does the state still subsidize the current train with a few million?
t
"At last the idea of going around Marginal Way in Portland has apparently died !"
Not exactly.
This is just the first phase. The point is to get service up and running so people will clamour for more direct service into town. In the meantime, Guildford gets it track upgraded.
Steven Scharf
SCSMedia@aol.com
I forgot to point out is that using the Woodfords'/Morriills Corner route will require backing the train up and switching tracks.
Steven Scharf
SCSMedia@aol.com
Al Amoling - These days, the same regulatory agencies controlling the output of peanuts and homemade lemonade would make darned sure that every morsel of suspect pork product was scooped up and incinerated. Doubtless whilst wearing HazMat suits and snorkels.
God forbid someone get a free samitch.
God forbid someone get a free samitch that they aren't beholden to the government for..
There. Fixed that for ya.
Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.
If a Brunswick stop adds 10 people per trip, average, to the Downeaster's load factor I'll be astonished. Mighta made a bit more sense of the NAS was still operating, but as we all know, it ain't.
Meantime, I find it a little hard to believe that they've got everything ticked and tied with Guilford. Some companies engage in predatory practices, obfuscation, delay and other nasty tactics for profit. Anyone who's tracked Guilford can be forgiven for concluding that they do it for fun.
Prediction: This will end up costing considerably more than $35 million, and will require a perpetual additional subsidy suck to run between Portland and Brunswick.
We can get all kinds of money for passenger rail. This $30 million is on top of $55 million we're spending on existing Downeaster tracks. The tracks are owned by Pan Am (Mellon family), Pan Am is doing the work, and heaven help you if you need freight rail service from Pan Am. Then there's an ongoing subsidy costing millions a year before this extension with Pan Am getting about $1.5 million a year to use tracks we paid to upgrade.
All the while Aroostook County may lose freight rail because of the recession. Service that has always paid for itself and will again when the economy picks up. The rails going to the county aren't owned by Pan Am or the Mellon family.
“It’s just like the old days,” said Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine
[NOTE: Deleted by AMG's Editor.]
dumb!
charlie
Charlie: What’s “dumb”?
A train to Brunswick or the photo in the post just ahead of yours?
While both are dumb, my immediate reference was to the photo.
charlie
Wow. Talk about tasteless....
What a colossal waste of our money. What few people ride to Brunswick will never cover the cost of this boondoggle. If it were financially feasible wouldn't you think that some entrepreneur would already attempt it. Typical liberal waste and fraud.
TO answer a previous question -I once met the woman who represents Amtrak here in Maine (Pat?). She explained that AMTRAK does not set their rates based on cost but rather sets the fee schedule based on what they think the customer is willing to pay and then expects the federal government to subsidize the remainder of the costs. The true cost of riding the train makes it unaffordable for most people but becuase it canc arry large quantities of passengers it is supposed to be good for the environment and the roads. Sure wish i had a business that operated like that.
Traci G deserves to be banned for that post. It is neither funny, sarcastic, or even stupid. It is simply over the edge and if that is a reflection of the character of this individual, then so be it.
it was not intended to be funny sarcastic or stupid. Chellie Pingree is a socialist and attended Communist Party of Maine events thrown in her honor. What do you think socialists and communists think of when they think of the good "ole days"? . Sorry my visual history lesson touched a nerve. It should. When you have as much disdain for this womans total diregard for the Constitution (and the oath she swore to uphold and protect it) then I will take your questioning of my character more seriously.
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Why is this needed? Will the tickets be kept artificially low or will the taxpayers be subsidizing another industry? I thought the One was going to get rid of things that do not work, another lie. If it was needed and profitable then it would be private. Hey maybe it will go past Michaud's train station.