Portland Passenger Rail

Nice that those have the observation domes, though!
 
MaineDOT recently released their three-year work plan and in it includes money for two passenger rail studies: $200k transit propensity study for enhanced transit (incl. rail) for Portland-Bangor and $180k for (another) economic feasibility study for commuter/passenger rail for Portland-Lewiston/Auburn.

Link to work plan here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/95b12905e40e4cc48f1022b7461ca751
 
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ctsketch said:
Whats the word on the Worcester-Providence line?
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Not sure why you posted this in a thread titled "Portland Passenger Rail," but, I'm pleased to report that they still have a Wiki page devoted to said *proposal,* and said Wiki page is even so bold and saucy as to employ present-tense verbs!

Also, word on the street is they're now working in shifts to raise sufficient capital ($12 month, utilities included + a parking spot and access to a coffeemaker) to afford to lease again at the Woonsocket Depot (visual reference), after having been evicted almost three years ago. Progress on all fronts!
 
DBM said:
Not sure why you posted this in a thread titled "Portland Passenger Rail," but, I'm pleased to report that they still have a Wiki page devoted to said *proposal,* and said Wiki page is even so bold and saucy as to employ present-tense verbs!

Also, word on the street is they're now working in shifts to raise sufficient capital ($12 month, utilities included + a parking spot and access to a coffeemaker) to afford to lease again at the Woonsocket Depot (visual reference), after having been evicted almost three years ago. Progress on all fronts!
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Oops. I thought I was in the Providence forum for a second! my bad
 
markhb said:
Unfortunately, the observation car, known as the Great Dome, was taken down a low-clearance line it should not have been on and got wrecked (essentially, it got Storrowed). Since it was very much a nice-to-have leftover from the pre-Amtrak era, to my knowledge there are no plans to fix it. More options in the Downeaster cafe would be the province of the operator; maybe reach out to them.
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When did this happen? The only reference to it being damaged I could find was this incident in 2018, and it sounds like the damage was minimal. It was retired by Amtrak the following year (along with some other vintage equipment in Amtrak's roster) and is now being used on a scenic railroad in Maryland. Did something happen after that?
 
Roxxma said:
When did this happen? The only reference to it being damaged I could find was this incident in 2018, and it sounds like the damage was minimal. It was retired by Amtrak the following year (along with some other vintage equipment in Amtrak's roster) and is now being used on a scenic railroad in Maryland. Did something happen after that?
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I believe that's the incident in question, and I honestly hadn't heard that the car had been repaired and put back into service elsewhere. Apparently Amtrak just used the accident as an excuse to unload it. :(
 
BeeLine said:
Is this a new style caboose I saw on the Downeaster yesterday at North Station?
IMG_2163 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr
IMG_2161 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr
IMG_2162 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr
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No...that's just the 50th Anniversary paint Genesis P42DC locomotive, which has been on rotation on the Downeaster last couple weeks. Last few weeks they've been running the DE a lot of the time double-ended with locos on each end and no "cabbage" baggage-cab cars. Not sure why...the cabbages might be down for repair.
 
Here's the article on yesterday's presentation by the Maine Rail Transit Coalition to the Portland to Auburn Rail Use Advisory Council; they're calling it the "Grand Trunk Flyer":
[Tony Donovan of MRTC] said the team behind the “flyer” proposal has determined that light rail could operate on the track close to its current condition.

Al Fazio, an engineer with BRT Services and former deputy chief engineer for Amtrak, said a 2019 report that looked at passenger rail between the regions had several errors. He said many places across the country have seen redevelopment around light rail corridors that can provide zero-carbon transportation, “getting people to work even if they can’t afford a car.”

BRT is a professional firm in Havertown, Pennsylvania, specializing in support to railways with high volume services, according to its website.

According to a news release on the proposal, reaching downtown Portland would require rebuilding the trestle traveling across from the former B&M Baked Beans property to the east end of Portland. They envision stations at the incoming Roux Institute, as well as in Falmouth, downtown Yarmouth, Yarmouth Junction, the Pineland Farms campus in New Gloucester, and the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport in Auburn.

The release said the Maine Rail Transit Coalition is preparing for a demonstration of the new train, which would operate between Presumpscot Street and Yarmouth, as early as next year.
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Edit: Their proposal calls for using battery-operated MU's on the route.
 
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This is the correct application for BEMU, unlike the MBTA's region wide system.
 
ony Donovan of MRTC] said the team behind the “flyer” proposal has determined that light rail could operate on the track close to its current condition.
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which would operate between Presumpscot Street and Yarmouth, as early as next year.
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This is absolutely farcical. The GT line is in terrible condition and is nowhere near adequate for passenger operations, even light rail. It's all lightweight jointed rail...Then on top of there are several grade crossings that would need total rebuilds and many sections where the roadbed is uneven or unstable.

Worth noting that freight operations were limited to 10mph when this line was last used.

Not to mention that a shuttle connecting Yarmouth to a currently undeveloped lot in East Deering doesn't exactly sound like a winning proposition...
 
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Aren't BEMU's heavier than DMU's? I would think that would require better condition rail beds than existing, right?
 
I continue to be amazed by how many sites are horrible in Firefox.

Beyond that, the "Hotel Train" idea has been kicking around for several years now; I'm not sure if this is the same group promoting it or not. I do know that when MaineDOT did an analysis a decade or so ago, the estimated cost of upgrades, etc. to get to Montreal was $1 Billion USD, and I don't know now if that was just for the US side of the border or if it included the Canadian side.
 
From my understanding, the SLR / SLQ mainline from Auburn to Sherbrooke is mostly in quite good condition (It's good for 40 mph for freight trains) Genesee & Wyoming has been laying welded rail bit-by-bit for years now.

The biggest challenge is the lack of signaling / PTC so passenger trains would also be limited to 40 mph.

A 14 hour travel time from Montreal to Boston is absurd. If we're making passenger rail investments, they should function as part of our transportation system and not just as a rolling hotel for leisure travelers.
 
Cosakita18 said:
From my understanding, the SLR / SLQ mainline from Auburn to Sherbrooke is mostly in quite good condition (It's good for 40 mph for freight trains) Genesee & Wyoming has been laying welded rail bit-by-bit for years now.

The biggest challenge is the lack of signaling / PTC so passenger trains would also be limited to 40 mph.

A 14 hour travel time from Montreal to Boston is absurd. If we're making passenger rail investments, they should function as part of our transportation system and not just as a rolling hotel for leisure travelers.
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The SLR actually hosted passenger trains in the 1990's... the Sunday River Silver Bullet ski trains that ran from East Deering (Presumpscot St.) to Bethel. Unfortunately, the Downeaster, which they were hoping to be a connecting service for (or at least some sort of cross-town transfer situation) met numerous delays and didn't get started until 2000 or so, by which time Les Otten had either run out of money or gotten pushed out of SR and the project had been abandoned.

So far as the leisure travel aspect goes, if it's private investment, go for it. I can't see Maine or the US Government putting any money into the SLR though.
 
Cosakita18 said:
From my understanding, the SLR / SLQ mainline from Auburn to Sherbrooke is mostly in quite good condition (It's good for 40 mph for freight trains) Genesee & Wyoming has been laying welded rail bit-by-bit for years now.

The biggest challenge is the lack of signaling / PTC so passenger trains would also be limited to 40 mph.

A 14 hour travel time from Montreal to Boston is absurd. If we're making passenger rail investments, they should function as part of our transportation system and not just as a rolling hotel for leisure travelers.
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SLR/SLQ is Class 2 track, which is only 30 MPH passenger and 25 MPH freight.
 
Another great opportunity to create prominence for Portland. Now that 58 Fore will be a de facto failure to unify as a notable public space, what about a new train station? If you haven't, I suggest you take a look (and visit) at Boston's new North Station development and the upcoming South Station one. Both are centered within its city core, and both have (or will) new office (hi-rise), apartments, hotel (North), entertainment (North), and exciting food and drink options (on the way for South Station). It's too bad the old Union Station site can't be somehow worked into this idea, instead of another massive building for Maine Med. Thompson's Point is a "point," at the end, and divided off by the 295 wall. If the station was where it used to be, it would be easier access to Maine Medical Center (conceivably a long, enclosed, and futuristic and exciting "movement" walkway), the new USM, and Hadlock/Fitzpatrick/Expo experiences. Portland needs to start being more intelligent with its future planning, its master plan, of which has not been working. Why not be smart like Boston? Perhaps because few in Portland/Maine are willing to become participatory for the bigger picture? Most focus on the glass as 10% empty, that it can't be done, or dwell on an insignificant aside (e.g., "up to 50mph" lol) to not have to put in the work (with reason and logic) which takes effort. A great opportunity is here thanks to Gov. Mills. And this new train station could be within a bigger development, the way they do it in Boston, a city influenced by Harvard and M.I.T. (intelligentsia). With a new and bigger USM, and Roux presence (I hate the bean lot/point location), Portland could be a smaller and somewhat better life version of Boston, or if it really wanted to.

Here are frame grabs for those who don't subscribe to the PPH (I don't blame you).

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