KENNEBEC JOURNAL • March 7, 2021
Dec. 1, 2021, marks the 20th anniversary of the Downeaster Rail Service. It is recognized across the country as one of the most successful state-supported rail routes, with over 550,000 people using the service yearly before COVID-19. It is time to move forward to extend passenger rail to central Maine. 14 communities have passed resolutions calling on Maine’s Department of Transportation to preserve rail infrastructure in the Brunswick-Augusta-Waterville corridor for future passenger rail and freight service. This year, the Maine Legislature has an opportunity to decide the fate of this corridor. L.D. 227 would provide $300,000 from the state’s multimodal fund to pay for a feasibility study. ~ Richard Rudolph, Rail Users’ Network and Maine Rail Group