Downeaster
The American railroad company Amtrak describes its express train service between Boston and Brunswick (Maine) as " Downeaster " .
history
With the increase in air and individual traffic, the number of passengers in rail passenger traffic between Boston and Portland fell sharply in the mid-20th century, whereupon the local passenger trains operated by the Boston and Maine Railroad were discontinued in 1965.
In the early 1990s, plans began to revive passenger traffic to Maine . The connection was scheduled to open in 1995. Since the funding was initially not approved by the federal government , no construction work took place apart from the opening of the planned terminal in Portland as a bus station. The next scheduled appointment in 2000 also passed without the trains running. It was not until December 15, 2001 that the first express train traveled the 187-kilometer route from Boston to Portland.
Initially there were four trains in each direction and day with four passenger cars each. After a fifth pair of trains was used on working days in 2006, five trains have been running daily since summer 2007. A vehicle has been added since spring 2008 and the trains run with five cars.
In recent years the number of passengers has increased rapidly, in 2006 by 22.9% and in 2007 by 28%. Although the Downeaster is Amtrak's most successful passenger service, future funding is uncertain as the US federal government stopped participating in the costs in 2009.
On November 1, 2012, the Downeaster drove for the first time beyond Portland to Brunswick. The new route with a stop in Freeport is traveled daily from three trains per direction. Since 2003 there have been regular passenger trains between Brunswick and Rockland along the coast operated by the Maine Eastern Railroad in the summer months .
Surname
The name was based on an earlier express train operated by Boston & Maine. The "Down Easter" ran between New York and various destinations in Maine and New Hampshire until the late 1940s. Its name, in turn, goes back to a type of sailing ship that was built in Maine shipyards in the 18th century.
Route
The trains start at the North Station in Boston and initially travel on the Boston – Lowell line . The first stop is the Anderson Regional Transportation Center in Woburn . The station was opened in April 2001 and serves not only the express trains but also the suburban trains of the MBTA . In Wilmington the Downeaster trains turn onto the Wilmington – Agamenticus railway line . The nearest stop is Haverhill , where the Boston suburban trains terminate via Reading . Shortly after Haverhill, the route crosses the border into New Hampshire.
The trains stop in Exeter on the site of the former passenger station. Approximately 73,000 train passengers use the station annually, making it the busiest station in New Hampshire. Durham-UNH station not only connects the city of Durham , but also the University of New Hampshire (UNH). The last stop in New Hampshire is Dover . The station building there was inaugurated in 2003.
Shortly after the Maine border, the Downeaster's route turns onto the Cummings – Portland railway line , which it follows into the Portland metropolitan area. In Wells , a new station building was built in 2002 at the Wells Regional Transportation Center . The station Saco - Biddeford is located on the site of the former station Saco. In 2009, a direct transfer option to the regular buses was created here and the station building was renovated. In Old Orchard Beach , the trains stop from April to October. With 137,000 passengers in 2007, the Portland terminus is the busiest station in Maine. The Portland Transportation Center station was built specifically for the Downeaster and is located on the western edge of the city center on the Portland – Lunenburg railway line . The express buses to Augusta and Bangor also depart from here and follow the trains. The train station started operating as a bus station as early as 1996.
Trains to Brunswick run from Portland on the Portland – Rockland railway line . To do this, you drive backwards from Portland station back onto the main line, as there is no connecting curve in the direction of Brunswick. The stop in Freeport consists only of a platform with a small bus shelter. The terminus in Brunswick at Station Avenue is double-track, but only the southern track has a platform at the station building.
Durham UNH Railway Station
Downeaster in Wells, Maine
Downeaster near Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Brunswick Railway Station
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Trains News Wire of July 23, 2008, Kalmbach Publications.
- ↑ Official Amtrak numbers
- ↑ C. Woodard, December 24, 2007, in the Christian Science Monitor
- ↑ Article in Trains magazine from September 13, 2012
- ↑ Amtrak
- ↑ Official Amtrak numbers
- ↑ Official Amtrak numbers