Portland Passenger Rail

The Mountain Branch will be a rail trail before they're ever ready to entertain the option of east-west rail. Frankly, the more time they waste studying this at arm's length the less time they spend figuring out the logistics of an easily effective express bus. Analysis paralysis FTW, and it's clouding the Union Station siting process.
 
I do think that one of the reasons Sites 1 or 2 weren't chosen (besides the desire to maintain the current Portland maintenance facility) is that they don't want to get into an eminent domain battle with the owner of both those sites: MaineHealth, aka Maine Medical Center. Because that cozy "nonprofit" of a hospital will lawyer MaineDOT into the ground.
 
markhb said:
I do think that one of the reasons Sites 1 or 2 weren't chosen (besides the desire to maintain the current Portland maintenance facility) is that they don't want to get into an eminent domain battle with the owner of both those sites: MaineHealth, aka Maine Medical Center. Because that cozy "nonprofit" of a hospital will lawyer MaineDOT into the ground.
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I can't for the life of me fathom why they are placing Thompson's Point layover on such a pedestal. It hasn't been used as a regular yard ever since the Brunswick extension opened and shifted the maint base out there. It only takes very occasional non-revenue equipment extras, which is hardly an essential function. And if they ever did need space for a Portland layover the unused CSX Yard 8 has plenty of space almost as nearby. It's as disposable as they come.
 
F-Line to Dudley said:
I can't for the life of me fathom why they are placing Thompson's Point layover on such a pedestal. It hasn't been used as a regular yard ever since the Brunswick extension opened and shifted the maint base out there. It only takes very occasional non-revenue equipment extras, which is hardly an essential function. And if they ever did need space for a Portland layover the unused CSX Yard 8 has plenty of space almost as nearby. It's as disposable as they come.
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The idea that Site 3 is the only option that can facilitate convenient train movements into Thompson’s Point is only true if you assume that no track infrastructure mods can be made. Seems like they could restore the missing leg of the wye pretty easily, and that would let them access the Mountain Branch from a better-located station site. This idea was never mentioned in their study, as far as I can tell, so it’s not clear if they considered the possibility.
 
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