The tentative schedule begins on Fridays, with a train departing Boston at 5 p.m., arriving in Rockland at 10:10 p.m., before departing Rockland at 10:20 p.m., and arriving back in Boston at 12:15 a.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, two trains would make the trip to Rockland, with the first leaving Brunswick at 7:50 a.m. arriving in Rockland at 9:45 a.m., before departing for Boston with a 3:30 p.m. arrival time. The second train would leave Boston at 9:45 a.m., arriving in Rockland at 3:10 p.m., then departing for Boston with a 9:30 p.m. arrival time.
While generally supportive of the pilot project, some residents pointed out that the schedule lacks flexibility for midcoast residents looking to go south.
“I think it’s a great idea. I think it’s a great opportunity for Rockland,” Doug Curtis, said. “But I don’t think the schedule, from our side going to Boston, is as friendly as it is for people coming from Boston.”Residents floated the idea of a Thursday train. Quinn did not reject that possibility, but said the tentative schedule is simply “testing the waters” to see if there’s enough interest. While the goal would be to have the program run from May until September, if the project is approved, it likely wouldn’t begin until July.