The Downeaster is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak and managed by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA), an agency of the state of Maine. Named for the Down East region of Maine, the train operates five daily round trips between North Station in Boston, Massachusetts, and Brunswick, Maine, with ten intermediate stops.
In fiscal 2024, the Downeaster carried 598,426 passengers, up 27.0% from the previous year. It earned ticket revenue of $13,051,548, up from $10,420,681, for a farebox recovery ratio of 50%.
History Previous service The Downeaster follows the route historically used by the Pine Tree and Flying Yankee trains that traveled from Bangor to Boston and were operated jointly by the Boston & Maine Railroad and Maine Central Railroad. Passenger operations between Portland and Boston ceased in 1965.
Service resumption
In 1989, a group of volunteers founded TrainRiders/Northeast, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing modern passenger rail service to Northern New England.
In 1990, at the urging of Maine's congressional delegation, Amtrak estimated the cost of creating passenger rail service at about $50 million: $30 million for infrastructure improvements and another $20 million for equipment.
The following year, Amtrak agreed to provide the equipment at no charge to the State of Maine. Earlier in that same year, the Maine Legislature adopted its first citizen-initiated bill, the "Passenger Rail Service Act", which was endorsed by the Maine DOT and signed by the governor. In 1992, Maine voters approved a $5.4 million rail bond for right-of-way improvements, and $60,000 was granted to the Maine DOT to design a Portland intermodal terminal. Later that year, Congress approved $25.5 million for more right-of-way improvements, and 1993 saw an additional $9.5 million in track improvements. By the end of 1994, total appropriations for infrastructure had reached $38.6 million.
In 1995, Governor Angus King and Commissioner of Transportation John Melrose ordered the creation of a passenger rail authority. TrainRiders/Northeast, led by Chairman Wayne Davis, worked with the state Chamber of Commerce and industry, Maine DOT, and others to convince the legislature to create the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority in August.
Service was initially expected to start in the 1990s. Negotiations between NNEPRA, Amtrak, and Guilford Industries (now Pan Am Railways) began in 1996, but began to fail over many factors, including equipment weight and speed limits. In December 1998, a speed limit of was agreed upon; the following year, the Federal Surface Transportation Board approved a limit of . Most right-of-way improvements were complete in 2000, but the following year, start-up was delayed again when Guilford refused to allow Amtrak to test track modulus or run trains faster than . The Downeaster made its first run on December 15, 2001.
Service improvements Amtrak and NNEPRA won their protracted legal battle to operate trains at after Guilford's appeal was dismissed in 2004. In August 2007, top speeds were increased from to , cutting 20 minutes from trips between Portland and Boston. The first expansion of Downeaster service came that month, when the improvements made it possible to increase from four to five daily round trips from Portland to Boston. Amtrak plans to eventually add one or two round trips between Portland and Boston, bringing the daily total to six or seven. In 2009, NNEPRA unsuccessfully applied for federal stimulus money to increase train speeds—enough to cut 10 to 12 minutes off travel time—and increase the number of daily round trips from five to seven.
In 2011, the Downeaster became the first Amtrak train to offer free Wi-Fi service and e-ticketing.
In May 2014, NNEPRA agreed to add a station stop in Kennebunk, Maine. Like , it would have been a seasonal stop, open from April to October. Initial plans called for a temporary platform to be erected in 2016, with a permanent platform constructed with $300,000 in town money and $800,000 in state money for 2017 or 2018. Part of the former Boston & Maine depot building, used for passenger service from 1873 to 1965, was to be leased for use as a waiting area. On October 9, 2018, the Kennebunk Board of Selectmen cancelled the station project over concerns about the suitability of the site. In November 2021, it was announced a stop in Kennebunk was back on the table, although not likely a priority ahead of other expansions and improvements.
In 2019, NNEPRA officials began looking into moving the Portland station. The Portland Transportation Center is on a branch line, which adds 15 minutes to travel time for trains to or from Brunswick. Other concerns with the current station include limited parking and its location on Thompson's Point. A new location could put the station on the main line, move it closer to downtown, and improve vehicular and pedestrian access. In 2021, a MaineDOT study endorsed moving the station to a location near the original location of Portland's Union Station.
NNERPA plans to extend an existing siding in Wells by , which will allow an additional daily Brunswick-Wells round trip. Wells station will get a second platform and a footbridge. In February 2020, NNERPA was awarded a $16.9 million federal grant for the project.
In July 2019, local officials proposed an infill station in West Falmouth next to a Maine Turnpike exit.
High-speed rail In October 2000, the Federal Railroad Administration designated a route from Boston to Portland and Auburn as one component of the Northern New England Corridor, a proposed high-speed rail project.
Brunswick extension
Service to Brunswick was originally intended to begin within five years of the Downeasters 2001 launch, but was delayed by lack of funding and other obstacles. Ground was broken in October 2008 for Brunswick station, a retail development that included shops, condominiums, an inn, and office space. In January 2010, NNEPRA received a $35 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for track and signal upgrades for the Portland-Brunswick line. Pan Am Railways began work on the line in summer 2010, and on May 14, 2012, the platforms in Brunswick and Freeport were declared complete. Service began on November 1, 2012, with two daily services to and from Boston.
The extension to Brunswick led to the construction of an enclosed layover facility there, just west of the station; trains had previously been stored outdoors in Portland. The facility opened in November 2016, permitting a third daily Brunswick–Boston trip. NNEPRA announced plans for the facility in 2013, with construction slated to run from summer 2013 until late 2014, but local opposition delayed the project. Neighbors of the planned location demanded further environmental studies, saying they believe the facility would hurt nearby areas. State politicians became involved; Governor Paul LePage, concerned about job creation at Brunswick Landing, suggested alternate locations in eastern Brunswick. Several Democratic state legislators asked NNEPRA to build in an existing rail yard in South Portland, and to focus on the "core product" of Boston–Portland service instead. Legal challenges to the facility ended in January 2016.
In 2017 and 2018, NNEPRA constructed a passing track, the Royal Junction siding, on the single-track section of line between Portland and Brunswick to enable an increase from three to five daily round trips to Brunswick. The increase to five weekday round trips between Boston and Brunswick (with four Brunswick round trips and one Portland round trip on weekends) took place on November 12, 2018. All five weekend round trips began running to Brunswick on May 20, 2019.
2015 winter and track work The Downeasters ridership, finances, and performance suffered in the first half of 2015 because of an exceptionally brutal winter and a subsequent large-scale tie replacement project funded by the NNEPRA. During its fiscal year 2015 (July 2014 to June 2015), Amtrak cancelled 488, or 13 percent, of its scheduled Downeaster trains. The trains that ran saw an on-time percentage of 30%, less than half the national average of 71%; during the tie replacement, none ran on time in May and 8% in June. Ridership dropped 18.2% (nearly 100,000 fewer riders) from the previous fiscal year.
The Downeaster resumed its full schedule on August 1, 2015, following the completion of the track repairs. By December 2015, the Downeaster was up to a monthly on-time percentage of 86%, well above the national average.
2020s In April 2020, the Downeaster was suspended as part of Amtrak service reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic. A single round trip resumed between Boston and Brunswick on June 15, 2020. Service was increased to four daily round trips in July 2020; the full five round trips resumed on May 3, 2021.
On June 24–27, 2021, Downeaster trains stopped at Falmouth Country Club to serve attendees of the Live and Work in Maine Open.
Design work for positive train control (PTC) over the section of the route between Haverhill and Brunswick was completed in March 2023. (The Boston–Haverhill section had PTC installed by the MBTA several years earlier.) In November 2023, Amtrak and CSX reached a construction agreement under which Amtrak will contribute over $50 million and CSX will perform the work. , the PTC installation is expected to be complete in 2026.
Operation Equipment
A typical Downeaster consists of a locomotive, an Amfleet cafe/business car, and three or four Horizon and/or Amfleet coaches. A second locomotive or a Non-Powered Control Unit (a former EMD F40PH locomotive converted into a control car) runs on the southbound end of the train for push-pull operation. three trainsets are used to provide service. Trains operate at speeds up to .
By 2031, the train's existing equipment is expected to be replaced by Amtrak Airo trainsets, Amtrak's branding for trainsets combining Siemens Venture passenger cars with a Siemens Charger diesel-electric locomotive. The trainsets for the Downeaster will include six passenger cars with a food service area and a mix of 2×2 Coach Class and 1×2 Business Class seating.
Classes of service All classes of service include complimentary WiFi, an electric outlet (120 V, 60 Hz AC) at each seat, reading lamps, fold-out tray tables. Reservations are required on all trains, tickets may be purchased online, from an agent at some stations, a ticketing machine at most stations, or, at a higher cost, from the conductor on the train.Coach Class: 2×2 seating. Passengers self-select seats on a first-come, first-served basis.Business Class''': 1×2 seating with more legroom than coach. Passengers receive complimentary soft drinks. Passengers self-select seats on a first-come, first-served basis.
Some Downeaster trains carry volunteers, coordinated by Trainriders Northeast, to inform passengers about destinations, attractions, and transfers."Trainriders NE – Host Program." The Official Site of Trainriders NE. May 5, 2009 <http://www.trainridersne.org/WebPages/TRNE_HostProgram/host >.
Ridership and finances Between December 2001 through 2005, annual ridership ranged from 250,000 to 300,000 passengers. In fiscal year 2011, ridership topped 500,000 for the first time. Ridership dropped sharply due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but was back up to 516,723 in fiscal year 2023. Ridership was 598,426 in fiscal year 2024 – 4% higher than the previous record in 2019.
The line's busiest station is North Station in Boston. Due in part to the route's success, North Station was the 23rd busiest Amtrak station in the country in fiscal year 2018, and the fifth busiest in New England (behind South Station, , New Haven Union and Back Bay). The busiest station in Maine is the Portland Transportation Center, while is New Hampshire's busiest.