Maine: Return of the Iron Horses

Passenger rail is making a comeback in Maine, with the nine-year old Amtrak Downeaster service from Boston to Portland soon to expand to Freeport and Brunswick, with immediate connections to Bath, Wiscassset, and Rockland. Lewiston-Auburn and Augusta could follow in short order.

So what does this all mean for Maine and Mainers, and what obstacles stand in the way of further expansion?

These questions and more posed and answered in my latest Talk of Maine piece in the new issue of Down East magazine. After reading the piece, interested parties might also want to check out the websites of Maine Eastern Railroad and TrainRiders/Northeast, plus these images of the railway stations Portland tore down in the history-hating 60s.

Readers note: on account of my son's birth, I'm taking a two month hiatus from Talk of Maine, but will be back thereafter.