Downeaster routing, expansion, and aiport connections

[Joel N. Weber II]

The long range plan for Downeaster expansion includes service to Brunswick, and to Auburn, with the Auburn branch potentially extended to Montreal. But I don't see any proposals for service to Bangor.

Is there a viable track route to connect Portland to Bangor?

Who owns the track from Portland to Auburn to Montreal?

Why did the Portland Amtrak station end up at its current location, and not Union Station Plaza Shopping Center?

The only mention I can find of airport connections on the Downeaster website is on the Woburn Station page, which mentions bus connections to Boston Logan Airport, and to the Manchester, NH airport.

Is thruway bus ticketing available for those airport shuttles? It seems like providing thruway ticketing might provide interesting data on how many people transfer between the Downeaster and airports.

Also, if there are significant numbers of Downeaster passengers who go from Maine to the Manchester airport (or to Manchester in general), would it make sense to have a thruway bus connection from Exeter to highway 27 to highway 101? That looks like a much more direct route than going to Manchester via Woburn.

Is there any bus connection from the Portland Amtrak / bus station to the Portland airport? It seems like it would be a relatively easy connection to create, but I can't find any evidence that it already exists.

 

[the_traveler]

When we were in Portland a few weeks ago, I saw signs advertising a BUS going from Portland to Logan! I realize that is also the bus terminal, but doesn't that essentially take passengers away from the Downeaster that they wanted so bad? :huh:

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

When we were in Portland a few weeks ago, I saw signs advertising a BUS going from Portland to Logan! I realize that is also the bus terminal, but doesn't that essentially take passengers away from the Downeaster that they wanted so bad? :huh:

Some passengers might appreciate not needing to transfer at Woburn.

(For that matter, there seems to be no bus service from BON/Haymarket to Logan, which I find a little strange given the existence of the SL1 to South Station; I get the impression that a bus from all of the airport treminals to BON and/or Haymarket would be quite easy to run through the Sumner / Callahan tunnels. But the SL1 may be there to justify all of the dedicated tunnel construction for the SL1/SL2/SL3. I also think a Logan to Back Bay / Copley bus might make a lot of sense, except that the I-90 exit/entrance ramps aren't in the right places to make it work, and I suspect fixing that would be nontrivial.)

 

[Amtrak839]

Is there any bus connection from the Portland Amtrak / bus station to the Portland airport? It seems like it would be a relatively easy connection to create, but I can't find any evidence that it already exists.

Yes, the #5 bus, I rode it in August from the station to the airport to pick up a rental car. It's a quick ride from the airport to the station, but the station to the airport ride takes 30+ min (IIRC) because it goes to a shopping center first, then backtracks to the airport.

 

[amamba]

When we were in Portland a few weeks ago, I saw signs advertising a BUS going from Portland to Logan! I realize that is also the bus terminal, but doesn't that essentially take passengers away from the Downeaster that they wanted so bad? :huh:

Some passengers might appreciate not needing to transfer at Woburn.

(For that matter, there seems to be no bus service from BON/Haymarket to Logan, which I find a little strange given the existence of the SL1 to South Station; I get the impression that a bus from all of the airport treminals to BON and/or Haymarket would be quite easy to run through the Sumner / Callahan tunnels. But the SL1 may be there to justify all of the dedicated tunnel construction for the SL1/SL2/SL3. I also think a Logan to Back Bay / Copley bus might make a lot of sense, except that the I-90 exit/entrance ramps aren't in the right places to make it work, and I suspect fixing that would be nontrivial.)

One can easily take the bus from Haymarket to Logan airport. I believe its route 450? It goes from Haymarket to the Salem Depot in Salem, MA with a stop at Logan (amongst many others up route 1A). It might be the 455 or the 459 instead, though? You could try the trip planner at www.mbta.com to figure out for sure. There are a bunch of those "express buses".

I believe that concord trailways offers bus service between the portland terminal and the portland jetport. If not, one can easily take a cab, that is for sure.

Of course, if one is at BON it is easy enough to take the subway to logan via the blue line.

What would be really exciting is if the MBTA extended their line to the Providence Airport.

 

[the_traveler]

What would be really exciting is if the MBTA extended their line to the Providence Airport.

The TF Green station is being built as we speak! (The outside of the building and the elevated way to the terminal 1/4 mile away are almost done!) And that is the plan!

But no Amtrak trains will stop there - yet!

 

[acelafan]

What would be really exciting is if the MBTA extended their line to the Providence Airport.

Here's an article from September about the planned service to Providence airport.

MBTA Link to Providence Airport

 

[wrjensen]

The long range plan for Downeaster expansion includes service to Brunswick, and to Auburn, with the Auburn branch potentially extended to Montreal. But I don't see any proposals for service to Bangor.
Is there a viable track route to connect Portland to Bangor?

Who owns the track from Portland to Auburn to Montreal?

St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad and St-Laurent & Atlantique Railroad owns the line. There are 2 line from Portland to Bangor not sure how good.

 

[DowneasterPassenger]

Why did the Portland Amtrak station end up at its current location, and not Union Station Plaza Shopping Center?

Whatever the reason it was a poor choice. The new(er) station is on the Mountain Division branch. The Downeaster gets off the tracks that head to Brunswick, and onto the Mountain Division. Continuing to Freeport, Brunswick and Auburn will apparently require the train to back out of the Portland station, reverse and continue north.

It's not even like that shopping center is still the gleaming example of automobile culture that it was when they tore down the historic Union Station to build it in 1960. It's no great Portland landmark, and indeed is the best location for a train station. As far as the "intermodal" requirement, the bus station was already located across the street at Congress and St. John.

The other weird thing about the Amtrak location, is that, besides being further from downtown, there is no pedestrian access. Well, none that signage directs you to. Locals know the trick that you can walk up Sewall St. from Congress St. But the I-295 interchange blocks reasonable pedestrian access. Most people need to take a bus or a cab or a car to get there.

 

[jack615]

One can easily take the bus from Haymarket to Logan airport. I believe its route 450? It goes from Haymarket to the Salem Depot in Salem, MA with a stop at Logan (amongst many others up route 1A). It might be the 455 or the 459 instead, though? You could try the trip planner at www.mbta.com to figure out for sure. There are a bunch of those "express buses".

There is no bus from Haymarket to Logan Airport, what you are thinking of is the 459 that goes from Salem Depot to Downtown crossing via South Station and the Waterfront, that stops at the airport. 450 and 455 go straight by the airport on 1a but do not stop at Airport. I believe also 448/449 do the same as 459 from Marblehead.

Jack

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

The Pan Am System Map seems to indicate that Pan Am owns the tracks from Portland to Brunswick, and from Augusta to Bangor.

This article seems to indicate that Brunswick to Augusta is referred to as the Lower Road.

The Brunswick service amendment appears to imply that the Brunswick station is considered to be on the Lower Road.

This seems to imply that extending Downeaster service via Augusta to Bangor would be possible, and it wouldn't even require involving any railroads that won't be hosting the Downeaster once Brunswick service is in place.

The amendment suggests Brunswick service could start in 2010, but I'm not aware of anything as definite as the start of very minimal T F Green service in 2010.