PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 23, 2021
A new report from the Maine Department of Transportation recommends moving Portland’s Amtrak Downeaster station from the Portland Transportation Center, which it shares with Concord Coach Lines, to a new – or old – location in Portland. The report suggests closer study of an alternative location near Union Station, the St. John Street strip mall that was built on the site of Portland’s previous passenger rail station after it was demolished 60 years ago. The current location adds 15 minutes to the Downeaster’s trips between Brunswick and Boston’s North Station. Relocation could cost $41.5 million, the third-lowest alternative out of eight considered.