Downeaster
Encyclopedia
The Downeaster is a 116-mile (187 km) regional
passenger train service managed by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) and operated by Amtrak
, connecting North Station in Boston, Massachusetts, to Portland, Maine
. With five daily round trips, the route carries 500,000 passengers annually, and was Amtrak's fastest-growing service in fiscal years 2006 and 2008.
The Downeaster runs northeast from Boston's North Station through southeastern New Hampshire
into southern Maine
, terminating at Portland.
The Downeaster uses the MBTA
’s Lowell Line
from North Station to Wilmington
, the Wildcat Branch
to Wilmington Junction, and the Haverhill/Reading Line
to the Massachusetts-New Hampshire state line. From there to Portland, it uses the Pan Am Railways
Freight Main Line. All of these lines were once part of the Boston and Maine Railroad
; the part south of Wilmington Junction was once the mainline and a branch of the Boston and Lowell Railroad
, and the rest was the mainline of the B&M.
If the Downeaster were to run solely on the Haverhill Line, it would conflict with the local commuter rail service, since the Downeaster makes no stops between Woburn and Haverhill. The use of the Wildcat Branch to cross between the Lowell and Haverhill lines allows the Downeaster to pass a Haverhill train.
, which serves Amtrak trains heading south and west out of Boston (see North-South Rail Link
). Downeaster passengers who wish to connect with the rest of the Amtrak system can use the Orange Line
to Back Bay Station
, Orange and Red Line
s to South Station, or take a taxi
to Back Bay Station or South Station.
From Portland to Bangor
, Concord Coach Lines
operates Thruway Motorcoach service, scheduled to connect to the Downeaster, and treated as one continuous route for ticketing purposes. Some Thruway buses run from Portland to South Station, making a direct connection with Amtrak's other services.
(wireless internet) is available to passengers on all Downeaster trains.
The Downeaster also has a "train host" program, coordinated by Trainriders Northeast
. Train hosts, available on some trains, are volunteers who provide passengers with information on destinations, attractions, and transfers.
The route of the Downeaster is similar to the route historically used by the Pine Tree, which was a joint Boston & Maine
/ Maine Central
train from Boston to Bangor. The primary difference is that a motorcoach (bus) carries passengers for the Portland-Bangor leg of the trip.
The current passenger service from Portland to Boston North Station began running on December 15, 2001.
The Downeaster was the first Amtrak train to offer free Wi-Fi service to passengers, as well as the first Amtrak train to offer E-ticketing
.
North Station in Boston serves the most passengers on the Downeaster route. The Portland Transportation Center is Maine's busiest station, and Exeter has the most boardings and detrainings in New Hampshire.
The Downeaster is managed by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority and operated by Amtrak. As of December 2007, operating the Downeaster costs $13.5 million per year, of which $6 million is covered by fares paid by passengers. The federal government provides $6 million per year through 2008, and Maine $1.5 million per year; after that, Maine will have to take over paying the entire shortfall if service is to continue. Massachusetts and New Hampshire do not contribute directly to the Downeasters operational budget even though the train stops in those states.
coastline from Portland to Brunswick
. A study by the Chicago
-based Center for Neighborhood Technology
suggests that the extension, combined with commercial developments along the "Downeaster Corridor," could generate several billion dollars in construction investments plus $55 million annually in tax revenue for the state of Maine.
Ground was broken for the Brunswick station
on October 18, 2008. This project is a retail development centered around a new train station with future service south on the Downeaster, and north to Rockland
on Maine Eastern Railroad
. It will include shops, condominiums, and office space.
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
began work on the line in summer 2010. NNEPRA hopes to have passenger rail service to Brunswick by 2012.
Regional rail
Commuter rail, also called suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates between a city center, and the middle to outer suburbs beyond 15km and commuter towns or other locations that draw large numbers of commuters—people who travel on a daily basis...
passenger train service managed by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) and operated by Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, connecting North Station in Boston, Massachusetts, to Portland, Maine
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...
. With five daily round trips, the route carries 500,000 passengers annually, and was Amtrak's fastest-growing service in fiscal years 2006 and 2008.
Route
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
into southern Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, terminating at Portland.
The Downeaster uses the MBTA
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
’s Lowell Line
Lowell Line
The Lowell Line is a railroad line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts. Originally built as the Boston and Lowell Railroad, and later operated as part of the Boston and Maine Railroad's Southern Division, the line was one of the first railroads in...
from North Station to Wilmington
Wilmington (MBTA station)
Wilmington station is located at 405 Main Street at its intersection with Church Street Wilmington, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The station serves trains on the MBTA's Lowell Line, and some trains from the Haverhill Line via the Wildcat Branch...
, the Wildcat Branch
Wildcat Branch
The Wildcat Branch is a single track railroad branch line which connects the MBTA Lowell Line in Wilmington, Massachusetts to the MBTA Haverhill/Reading Line at Wilmington Junction...
to Wilmington Junction, and the Haverhill/Reading Line
Haverhill/Reading Line
The Haverhill Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from downtown Boston, Massachusetts through the cities and towns ofMalden,Melrose,Wakefield,Reading,Wilmington,Andover,...
to the Massachusetts-New Hampshire state line. From there to Portland, it uses the 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...
Freight Main Line. All of these lines were once part of the Boston and Maine Railroad
Boston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
; the part south of Wilmington Junction was once the mainline and a branch of the Boston and Lowell Railroad
Boston and Lowell Railroad
The Boston and Lowell Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in Massachusetts. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state...
, and the rest was the mainline of the B&M.
If the Downeaster were to run solely on the Haverhill Line, it would conflict with the local commuter rail service, since the Downeaster makes no stops between Woburn and Haverhill. The use of the Wildcat Branch to cross between the Lowell and Haverhill lines allows the Downeaster to pass a Haverhill train.
Connections
No direct transfer exists between North Station and South StationSouth Station
South Station, New England's second-largest transportation center , located at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street in Dewey Square, Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest train station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston, a prominent train station in the northeastern...
, which serves Amtrak trains heading south and west out of Boston (see North-South Rail Link
North-South Rail Link
The North–South Rail Link is a proposed pair of approximately 1.5 mile -long rail tunnels below downtown Boston, Massachusetts.The tunnels would serve the goals of better unification for Boston's separate northern and southern MBTA Commuter Rail terminals, and provide direct linkage between...
). Downeaster passengers who wish to connect with the rest of the Amtrak system can use the Orange Line
Orange Line (MBTA)
The Orange Line is one of the four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It extends from Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain, Boston in the south to Oak Grove in Malden, Massachusetts in the north. It meets the Red Line at Downtown Crossing, the Blue Line at State, and the Green...
to Back Bay Station
Back Bay (MBTA station)
Back Bay station, located at 145 Dartmouth Street, between Stuart Street and Columbus Avenue, is a train station in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston...
, Orange and Red Line
Red Line (MBTA)
The Red Line is a rapid transit line operated by the MBTA running roughly north-south through Boston, Massachusetts into neighboring communities. The line begins west of Boston, in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Alewife station, near the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Route 2...
s to South Station, or take a 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...
to Back Bay Station or South Station.
From Portland to Bangor
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
, Concord Coach Lines
Concord Coach Lines
Concord Coach Lines, Inc., formerly known as Concord Trailways, is an inter-city bus company based in Concord, New Hampshire.The company was founded in 1967, and expanded in 1988 with the purchase of the Trailways franchise. Service to Maine commenced in 1992...
operates Thruway Motorcoach service, scheduled to connect to the Downeaster, and treated as one continuous route for ticketing purposes. Some Thruway buses run from Portland to South Station, making a direct connection with Amtrak's other services.
On-board services
The Downeaster offers two classes of service — Reserved Coach and Business Class — as well as a café car. All seats have electrical outlets. Free Wi-FiWi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
(wireless internet) is available to passengers on all Downeaster trains.
The Downeaster also has a "train host" program, coordinated by Trainriders Northeast
Trainriders Northeast
Trainriders Northeast is non-profit citizen’s organization group based out of Portland, Maine. It was established in 1989 to advocate for the extension of passenger rail service from Boston to Portland and points north...
. Train hosts, available on some trains, are volunteers who provide passengers with information on destinations, attractions, and transfers.
History
Boston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
/ Maine Central
Maine Central Railroad
The Maine Central Railroad Company was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated a mainline between South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada-U.S...
train from Boston to Bangor. The primary difference is that a motorcoach (bus) carries passengers for the Portland-Bangor leg of the trip.
The current passenger service from Portland to Boston North Station began running on December 15, 2001.
The Downeaster was the first Amtrak train to offer free Wi-Fi service to passengers, as well as the first Amtrak train to offer E-ticketing
Electronic ticket
An electronic ticket is a digital ticket. It may be issued by an airline, in road, urban or rail public transport, and in entertainment.-Airline ticket:...
.
Ridership
In fiscal year 2006, it was Amtrak's fastest-growing service, with ridership up 22.9% from the previous year. In fiscal year 2007, the service's ridership increased nearly 8%. In fiscal year 2008, with the addition of a fifth round trip, ridership increased by 28% — 12% more than projected. Fiscal year 2008 ticket revenue was $6,076,517, an increase of 33% over fiscal year 2007 and 14% more than projected. In fiscal year 2010, a total of 478,463 passengers traveled on the train, an increase of 3.9% from fiscal year 2009's total of 460,474, and ticket revenue increased 3.3% to $6,711,893 from fiscal year 2009's total of $6,496,040. In fiscal year 2011, ridership topped 500,000 for the first time.North Station in Boston serves the most passengers on the Downeaster route. The Portland Transportation Center is Maine's busiest station, and Exeter has the most boardings and detrainings in New Hampshire.
Finances
Expansion and development
An expansion project currently underway will add passenger train service along Maine's AtlanticAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
coastline from Portland to Brunswick
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...
. A study by the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based Center for Neighborhood Technology
Center for Neighborhood Technology
The Center for Neighborhood Technology is a non-profit organization, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, which is committed to sustainable development and livable urban communities. CNT, as an “innovations center for urban sustainability”, researches, invents, and tests urban strategies that use...
suggests that the extension, combined with commercial developments along the "Downeaster Corridor," could generate several billion dollars in construction investments plus $55 million annually in tax revenue for the state of Maine.
Ground was broken for the Brunswick station
Brunswick Maine Street Station
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...
on October 18, 2008. This project is a retail development centered around a new train station with future service south on the Downeaster, and north to 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...
on Maine Eastern Railroad
Maine 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...
. It will include shops, condominiums, and office space.
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...
began work on the line in summer 2010. NNEPRA hopes to have passenger rail service to Brunswick by 2012.