2024 Forecast: Passenger trains again running full speed ahead, but work remains down the track

File Photo / Tim Greenway Patricia Quinn is executive director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, which operates Amtrak’s Downeaster line.

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By William Hall

Like many industries, Maine’s transportation sector shuddered to a near-halt at the start of the pandemic.

For over a month, Downeaster passenger trains never left the station — that is, any of their 12 stops between Brunswick and Boston.

Amtrak’s Downeaster line, overseen by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, resumed some operations in June 2020 and then picked up steam. Now the Downeaster is again running five daily round-trips along its 145-mile route.

Passenger volumes were at pre-pandemic levels in 2023 and surpassed them for much of the year. In August, the Downeaster carried 61,769 passengers, the highest monthly total since the rail service began in 2001.

The boom should continue in the months ahead, says Patricia Quinn, executive director of Portland-based rail authority. “2024 is a year of tremendous opportunity for the Amtrak Downeaster.”

Demand among business travelers has been the slowest to return, she notes. But even those passengers are boarding the trains in greater numbers, as more people return to the workplace.

Other factors that will drive the Downeaster’s ridership are contingent on the Maine economy.

A strong general economy is “essential” to support leisure travel on the train, Quinn says.

Housing growth and business development near Maine’s six Downeaster stations are also a key element.

In 2024, the rail authority plans to continue an overhaul of the Downeaster’s stop in Wells, extending a rail siding there from 2 miles to 8 miles and adding a second boarding platform. The build-out will eventually allow a sixth round-trip between Wells and Brunswick.

Planning will continue for other potential expansions, including a new station in West Falmouth and pilot runs between Brunswick and Rockland.

Federal infrastructure funds have paid for a lot of the work, and many more dollars will be needed. Service interruptions will also be unavoidable in order for projects to move ahead, Quinn cautions.