Amtrak’s Downeaster May Run All The Way To Rockland In 2018

Wouldn't that be cool! 

We really enjoy taking the Downeaster to Boston and back.  It's pretty cool to just sit back and enjoy the sites along the way.

When Amtrak extended the service back in 2012 from Portland to Brunswick, it really made our day. Now, we we don't have to travel all the way to Portland and try to find overnight parking. We use the Freeport station to park and then board right there!

According to an article in the Bangor Daily News, the good news is that previously, the actual rails themselves "have been upgraded to passenger standards", although more testing will need to be done.

If a series of coming meetings are successful, the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority will begin a pilot project that will extend the Downeaster's run once daily on the weekends, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

From Brunswick east, the Downeaster would then stop in Bath, Wiscasset, Newcastle and then Rockland.

Let's hope that this happens!  Let's hope that someday service is extended all the way to Bangor!