5 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Maine Biz,  12/11/23:

 

 

     Amtrak Downeaster gets $27.5M for track upgrades  

 

 

Amtrak’s Downeaster rail service has secured a $27.5 million federal grant to make repairs and related improvements along the tracks between Brunswick and the Massachusetts border.

 

Story

[KevinKorell]

Times-Record,  Brunswick, ME, 12/11/23:

 

 

 

     Brunswick-Rockland Downeaster extension eyed with federal grant 

 

 

 

Amtrak’s Downeaster has been awarded a federal grant to explore extending the passenger rail line from Brunswick to Rockland.

 

More

 

Related story:    AmeriStarRail proposes excursion train Brunswick-Rockland, ME

[KevinKorell]

Maine Public,   6/13/24:
 

    Rail agency stops operations, halts Downeaster train extension to Rockland   

 
 
 
Any plans to extend Amtrak’s Downeaster train service to Rockland have been derailed for now.

 
 
This is the story.
 
Cross-posted in Amtrak and Tourist forums.

[CNJRoss]

Trains News Wire

 

Midcoast Railservice to exit Brunswick-Rockland, Maine, lease, placing Downeaster extension on hold

 

By Bob Johnston | June 12, 2024

 

Loss of primary freight customer dooms operator’s ability to continue on state-owned line

 

ROCKLAND, Maine — Loss of a freight customer that supplied more than 95% of Midcoast Railservice’s revenue on the 57-mile Rockland branch leased from Maine’s Department of Transportation has prompted the Finger Lakes Railway subsidiary to exit the property.

 

The move upends plans the state, Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, and Amtrak had been working on with Midcoast to operate scheduled passenger service as an extension of the Boston-Brunswick, Me., Downeaster corridor

 

“Our lease agreement is that we give Maine DOT 120 days’ notice, but they told us they won’t hold us to that,” Midcoast President Mike Smith tells Trains News Wire, adding, “They have been very cooperative all along, recognizing that with the departure of Dragon Cement, it’s not possible for us to move forward.”

 

 

Continue here.  

[KevinKorell]

WMTW-TV, 8-ABC in Poland Spring, ME, 6/26/24:

 

 

   New safety technology to be added to Downeaster tracks    

 

 

Some significant safety upgrades are coming to the tracks that carry the Amtrak Downeaster as well as freight trains in Maine.

 

 

Full story

[KevinKorell]

Amtrak press release 6/26/24:
 

 

Amtrak and CSX Partner on Positive Train Control Installation to Improve Safety for the Amtrak Downeaster

 
FREEPORT, MAINE – Amtrak and CSX, in partnership with the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA), will install Positive Train Control (PTC), the technology capable of automatically controlling train speeds and movements, on more than 100 miles of track between Haverhill, Mass. and Brunswick, Maine. Amtrak is investing more than $50 million for the project and CSX is performing the work. Scheduled to be completed in Spring 2026, PTC will support the Amtrak Downeaster service and freight trains traveling on this route.
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Amtrak Vice President State Supported Services Ray Lang: [/size]“Having our trains use PTC is one of the most significant things we can do to advance improvements related to our never-ending commitment to safety. We are proud to partner on this PTC project with CSX and NNEPRA, both of whom share the same high-level commitment to safety as Amtrak.”

️ CSX Senior Director of Passenger Operations Andy Daly: [/size]“We are proud to join our partners at Amtrak and NNEPRA by enhancing safety for passenger and freight trains through the installation of PTC,” said Andy Daly, senior director of passenger operations at CSX. “Our crews are eager to complete the installation of this essential safety technology and conduct modernization upgrades in Northern New England.”
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NNEPRA Executive Director Patricia Quinn: In addition to the significant safety improvements, the installation of PTC creates opportunities for potential increases in Downeaster frequencies in the future. This is an important investment and we are grateful to Amtrak and CSX for their partnership.”

About the project: [/size]This project will add signals, wayside units, and other safety enhancements to the track – all of which will be tied into CSX’s existing PTC system. The Design Phase was completed in March 2023, and the construction agreement between Amtrak and CSX was fully executed in November 2023. Amtrak is also funding the renewal of the entire signal system for this stretch of track, which is over 70 years old in some locations. The new signal system will provide greater reliability for passenger and freight trains.
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The big picture: PTC systems that meet the standards set by the Federal Railroad Administration’s regulations are required to automatically prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments, incursion into an established work zone; and movement through a main line switch in the improper position.

Amtrak continues to work with partners throughout the industry to advance PTC on host infrastructure. These investments and improvements are part of Amtrak’s new era of passenger rail investing in safety, modern trains, enhanced stations, new tunnels and bridges, and other critical infrastructure upgrades.