Though past efforts have failed, a broader coalition of Democratic and Republican lawmakers from urban and rural areas are backing this year’s proposal to study how to expand passenger rail service from Maine’s biggest city to the home of its flagship university.
Gov. Janet Mills and her transportation department continue to air concerns about the cost of creating new train routes while arguing improved bus service is the better option for Maine at the moment. That has left lawmakers behind this year’s measure admitting it could stall out.
But less than two years are left in the governor’s term. Having a rail advocate in the Blaine House could sharply change the conversation. This new approach could show a way forward for a long-stalled priority for politicians in the Bangor area and other places along a once-vibrant passenger rail corridor.
“You’ve got to look at the long-term dividends that that would pay back to the state,” Rep. Steve Bishop, R-Bucksport, a cosponsor of the measure, said.
Last year’s similar effort from Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, failed to pass partly because lawmakers from both parties opposed requiring the state to spend $20,000 to help with a federal grant application. Supporters think this year’s bill from Rep. Tavis Hasenfus, D-Readfield, to study a Portland-Orono route could advance because it does not include that requirement.
The emergency proposal only directs the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority to apply for funding through a federal program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which supporters worry may dry up under President Donald Trump once it expires next year.
The federal money would help identify a rail corridor that extends from Portland to Orono via Auburn, Lewiston, Waterville and Bangor. Additional stations would be possible.
The measure’s passage would serve as a key milestone for rail advocates in Maine, which is currently served by Amtrak’s Downeaster route that runs between Brunswick and Boston and reported record ridership of nearly 600,000 in fiscal year 2024. The state is still home to robust freight routes but had various passenger routes before 1960, such as the Flying Yankee between Bangor and Boston and the Aroostook Flyer between Van Buren and Bangor.
“In the big picture, it’s a very good thing for Maine,” Rep. Laurie Osher, D-Orono, said.
Osher acknowledged passenger rail expansion is not cheap, but emphasized a route to Orono would help the University of Maine and the state attract and keep educated residents. The Downeaster is popular with students at Bowdoin College and also stops at the University of New Hampshire.
Republicans cosponsoring the bill, including Bishop, Sen. Scott Cyrway of Albion and Reps. Ken Fredette of Newport and Jack Ducharme of Madison, also said businesses have signaled more passenger rail service would make Maine attractive to them.
The Maine Department of Transportation is airing familiar concerns ahead of a March 6 public hearing on Hasenfus’ measure. Spokesperson Paul Merrill pointed out a past study of expanding train service to Bangor showed a “very high initial capital cost” of up to $902 million.
That cost is likely higher now due to inflation, Merrill said, adding the state prioritizes improvements that “balance the department’s limited financial resources with anticipated benefits to the greatest number of people.”
The department has worked with Concord Coach Lines to add two additional bus trips between Portland and Bangor and increase that service to six daily roundtrips, Merrill said. Last July, the state also launched “The LAP” commuter bus between Lewiston and Portland. The two-year pilot project has seen ridership ranging from 2,187 in October to 1,737 in January, Merrill said.
“The highway corridors between Portland and Lewiston/Auburn and between Portland and Bangor are uncongested, predictable, have traffic speeds of up to 70 mph, and provide for efficient travel times for personal vehicles and bus services,” Merrill said.
Rail advocates also run into disagreements over calls to turn inactive train tracks into bike and pedestrian trails, such as this year’s proposal from Senate President Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, for a Portland-Yarmouth rail trail. Maine Rail Group, a volunteer-run group supporting the expansion of rail to Orono, said “rail with trail is the answer.”
Baldacci, the Bangor senator who has advocated for previous rail expansion efforts, said the “biggest obstacle is the bureaucratic inertia” of the Maine DOT. Although Democratic and Republican lawmakers have been feuding over budget issues, those who support this year’s rail bill said it would not hurt to at least seek federal money for a study.
Rep. Jack Ducharme, R-Madison, the lead House Republican on the budget committee, said he is “100 percent in favor of this.”
“Having seen several of these studies before, I’m not confident that it will be successful, but perhaps the right corridor and the right operator could make it work,” he said.
