Brunswick Maine Street Station
Encyclopedia
Brunswick Maine Street Station is a multi-modal
, multi-use real estate development
in the middle of Brunswick, Maine
, located on Maine Street. It is currently under construction and when finished will consist of commercial offices, service centers, retail, restaurants, theatre and residential space. Maine Street Station will also be a transportation hub
for city bus
es, taxi
s, and passenger trains
.
The development is split into two parts, the "West" and "East" sides (West and East of Union Street respectively). The west side will consist mostly of residential apartments and homes, along with some retail and commercial office space. The east side will consist of mostly retail and commercial office space, along with some apartments. The east side is also the location of the passenger train station. This development is currently being built on vacant lots surrounding the railroad junction between Portland
, Lewiston
, Augusta
, and Rockland
.
It wasn't until 2004 (four years after the Downeaster
s Boston-Portland service began) that the idea of creating a commercial development around a train station came to be.
On May 28, 2008, the planning board approved the final plan for Maine Street Station. The plan, developed by JHR Development of Maine, was submitted on January 15, 2008. The current plan was scaled down from the original proposal. Ground was broken for the station on October 18, 2008. The bookstore of nearby Bowdoin College
opened in one of the buildings constructed as part of phase I of the development on October 30, 2009.
Construction of building three (connected to the platform) was completed in 2009, along with site work and preparation for the other buildings, including building four, which will host the train station.
In December 2010, construction began on Building Four (designed by Gawron Turgeon Architects, and being constructed by Wright Ryan Construction). Mid Coast Hospital's Primary Care and Walk-In Clinic will be the anchor tenant in this 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) development.
(from Brunswick to Rockland).
Current Amtrak service only extends as far north as Portland. On January 28, 2010, the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority received approval for a $35 million grant from the federal government to fund track and signal upgrades for the Portland-Brunswick line. Pan Am Railways
has begun work on the line in spring 2010. NNEPRA hopes to have passenger rail service to Brunswick by 2012.
Maine Eastern Railroad has been operating passenger service between Brunswick and Rockland since 2004. Maine Eastern used the open lot on Cedar Street prior to the construction of the first phase of Maine Street Station, when it began boarding passengers from a portable platform at the beginning of the 2010 season. Upon arrival of the Downeaster, anticipated in 2012, Maine Eastern Railroad will continue to operate from Maine Street Station.
Intermodal passenger transport
Intermodal passenger transport involves more than one mode of transport of passengers. Some modes of transportation have always been intermodal; for example, most major airports have extensive facilities for automobile parking and have good rail or bus connections to the cities nearby. Urban bus...
, multi-use real estate development
Real estate development
Real estate development, or Property Development, is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved land or parcels to others...
in the middle of Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
, located on Maine Street. It is currently under construction and when finished will consist of commercial offices, service centers, retail, restaurants, theatre and residential space. Maine Street Station will also be a transportation hub
Transportation hub
A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles or between transport modes. Public transport hubs include train stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stop, airports and ferry slips. Freight hubs include classification yards, seaports and truck...
for city bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es, taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
s, and passenger trains
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
.
The development is split into two parts, the "West" and "East" sides (West and East of Union Street respectively). The west side will consist mostly of residential apartments and homes, along with some retail and commercial office space. The east side will consist of mostly retail and commercial office space, along with some apartments. The east side is also the location of the passenger train station. This development is currently being built on vacant lots surrounding the railroad junction between Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, Lewiston
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...
, Augusta
Augusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
, and Rockland
Rockland, Maine
Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,297. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination...
.
History
The first steps of the project began on August 20, 1998, when the Town of Brunswick purchased the land that the development is now on for $655,000.It wasn't until 2004 (four years after the Downeaster
Downeaster
The Downeaster is a 116-mile regional passenger train service managed by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority and operated by Amtrak, connecting North Station in Boston, Massachusetts, to Portland, Maine...
s Boston-Portland service began) that the idea of creating a commercial development around a train station came to be.
On May 28, 2008, the planning board approved the final plan for Maine Street Station. The plan, developed by JHR Development of Maine, was submitted on January 15, 2008. The current plan was scaled down from the original proposal. Ground was broken for the station on October 18, 2008. The bookstore of nearby Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
opened in one of the buildings constructed as part of phase I of the development on October 30, 2009.
Construction of building three (connected to the platform) was completed in 2009, along with site work and preparation for the other buildings, including building four, which will host the train station.
In December 2010, construction began on Building Four (designed by Gawron Turgeon Architects, and being constructed by Wright Ryan Construction). Mid Coast Hospital's Primary Care and Walk-In Clinic will be the anchor tenant in this 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) development.
Passenger train station
The development will serve as an interchange between the Downeaster (from Portland and Boston), and the Maine Eastern RailroadMaine Eastern Railroad
Maine Eastern Railroad is a railroad that operates in coastal Maine between Brunswick and Rockland on the state-owned Rockland Branch rail line...
(from Brunswick to Rockland).
Current Amtrak service only extends as far north as Portland. On January 28, 2010, the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority received approval for a $35 million grant from the federal government to fund track and signal upgrades for the Portland-Brunswick line. Pan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways, Inc. , known as Guilford Rail System before March 2006, is a holding company that owns and operates Class II regional railroads covering northern New England from Mattawamkeag, Maine to Rotterdam Junction, New York...
has begun work on the line in spring 2010. NNEPRA hopes to have passenger rail service to Brunswick by 2012.
Maine Eastern Railroad has been operating passenger service between Brunswick and Rockland since 2004. Maine Eastern used the open lot on Cedar Street prior to the construction of the first phase of Maine Street Station, when it began boarding passengers from a portable platform at the beginning of the 2010 season. Upon arrival of the Downeaster, anticipated in 2012, Maine Eastern Railroad will continue to operate from Maine Street Station.
External links
- Official web site
- Groundbreaking Video: "http://www.youtube.com/v/SM5t0WsvxPM&hl=en&fs=1"
- The White House Blog: Early signs of high-speed rail's economic promise in Brunswick, Maine