Possible Lewiston-Auburn to Portland rail routes to be discussed
Courtesy / NEPRA
A public meeting on possible Amtrak Downeaster expansion to Lewiston-Auburn will be held March 27.
Possible routes and other service details of a plan for train service between Lewiston-Auburn and Portland will be discussed at a public information meeting next week.
The meeting is the second phase of a project to extend Amtrak Downeaster rail service to the twin cities that began in 2015.
Various rail alignments are under consideration and may include Lewiston, Auburn, Gray, North Yarmouth, Yarmouth, Falmouth and Cumberland, as well as Portland, according to a news release from the Department of Transportation.
The Lewiston/Auburn Passenger Rail Service Plan Committee is hosting the meeting in order to discuss service scenarios and get feedback from the public. The meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in Callahan Hall, Lewiston Public Library, 200 Lisbon St.
The step comes after the first phase, which studied how many people would likely use the service. The second phase focuses on rail alignments and service levels that would support a high-frequency, commuter-type rail service between the two regions. Route and station options, as well as potential schedules will be discussed at the meeting, as well as capital and operating cost estimates, according to the release.
The project began in 2015, when the Legislature approved $500,000 to look into extending Amtrak Downeaster service, which now runs from Brunswick to Boston, to the Lewiston-Auburn area.
The Maine Department of Transportation, in consultation with the cities of Lewiston and Auburn and Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, is conducting the study. The cities of Lewiston and Auburn have contributed $50,000 toward the project cost.
A nine-member project committee includes representatives from the two cities, NNEPRA, and the transportation department. Engineering firm VHB, of South Portland, is the project consultant team.
The first phase assessed potential ridership. A range of ridership estimates were developed by evaluating the demographics and travel patterns in the area, considering the potential development opportunities of a rail connection and by examining similar rail corridors across the country, the release said.
The second evaluation has included developing service scenarios that include an assessment of infrastructure needs and costs to support them and a potential plan for implementation.
There are five Amtrak Downeaster round trips between Boston and Brunswick a day, with stops in Freeport, Portland, Saco and Wells in Maine; Dover, Durham and Exeter in New Hampshire; and Haverhill and Woburn in Massachusetts before arriving in Boston.
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