Planners Seek Commuter, Tourist Uses For Mountain Division

Check out this link and read the Rt 113 Alliance study on the potential for freight service. Several gravel pits up around Hiram indicated they would switch from trucks to rail if conditions were right. One estimate had 12,000 gravel trucks removed from the streets of Gorham annually. The 25/113 corridor is packed with commuters going into the Portland area daily. It starts around Standish and is backed up for miles at Gorham, Buxton and out of South Portland. Commuter Rail may be one answer. Its cheaper than building new highways.
http://www.smrpc.org/transportation/dm/ ... .21.05.pdf

Bob Meckley

Looks to me they did their homework. What's the next step for the state of ME? It seems to me I keep reading a lot of these surveys in regards to the line... but that’s it. What is the next step the state is trying to get too? I have yet to see any time line of proposed projects in regards to this line like: environmental studies, funding, negotiation talks with potential customers, the list goes on.

On a brief glance, it looks like they are focusing way too much on freight opportunities. I understand that traditionally in the US it is freight where the money is, but this may not be the best option for this route. First, you have here a pretty direct connection from a scenic area that would has the appeal of bnatural beauty and lower home prices, to a fairly stable urban area. That alone should be enough to encourage commuter useage. You also have connection to some scenic trackage, even if not to the standards of the Crawford Notch section, at least better than exists in many other parts of the country. This also has the ability to connect southward to Boston, through the notch, and even possibly northwards. This could be the start of a decent tourist rail system. You would have to maintain the tracks to decent operating standards (25mph isn't going to cut it), you would have to have trains that are noth efficient and appealing, and you would have to run them on time, with services, and with multiple routings. But there is no reason why a system like that would not be able to work in such a scenic area, and draw tourists from ll over the world.

As of today there is no viable market for commuters in the 113 corridor, but in 10 years or less it will become a horrible commute to Portland. After train service has been established between Portland and Brunswick, and possibly Portland and Aburn, I think it will be next. Freight traffic might justify reopening the line to FRA Class 2 sooner than that.
What is missing from the report is action from the other states. NH must spend money to re-establish service from Redstone to the state line for the line to really be feasible. They are more interested in a highway bypass around N. Conway that will cost 100 million dollars. The Vt section is still under litigation between MeC(Guilford-Pan Am) and Twin States RR who want to tear up the line.

Bob Meckley