Eastern Railroad Discussion > Downeaster Story

From today's Portland Press Herald:

Monday, December 15, 2003

Reliable Downeaster wins raves, seeks more riders


By TOM BELL, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
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As Amtrak's Downeaster service enters its third year of operation today, rail officials are looking at ways to boost ridership, such as adding more trips and shortening the time it takes to travel between Portland and Boston.

While weekend trains are mostly filled, there are plenty of empty seats on the weekday trains, especially during the off-season.

Ridership and revenues are significantly down from the service's first year, when it benefited from what officials call a "bubble of curiosity."

There hadn't been passenger service between the two cities since the Boston & Maine Railroad dispatched its last passenger train on Jan. 3, 1965.

Officials say ridership figures are now settling down, and they have a more realistic sense of how people are using the service.

"This thing was just a dream for so long," said Patricia Douglas, the marketing and development director for the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority. "Now that it's finally here, and we have a couple years worth of data, we can look at what we've done and see what makes sense."

This year, October and November were the first months to show increases in ridership over the previous year. But while fall ridership improved, revenues went up only slightly in November and fell 4.5 percent in October.

That's because ridership between Portland and Boston - the trip that fetches the most expensive ticket - was down.

For October, the most recent month for which statistics are available, ridership from Portland was down 12 percent.

Meanwhile, ridership originating in Exeter, Wells and Saco all increased more than 12 percent. But tickets for those trips are less expensive.

Rail officials are trying to figure out how to increase ridership. It's hard to improve the service because it is already operating at a high level, apparently. The train's on-time record is one of the best in the Amtrak system. In October, it was on time 96.4 percent of the time.

Also, according to Amtrak surveys of frequent rail travelers, the Downeaster's customer satisfaction rate is among the best in the nation. About 95 percent of those surveyed said they liked the experience and would ride the train again.

Wayne Davis of Train Riders/Northeast, the citizen group that advocated for the service, said the one sure way to increase ridership and revenues is to speed up the train. Right now, the maximum speed is 60 mph. A federal transportation board has ruled it can travel as fast as 79 mph, but Guilford, which owns the tracks between Portland and Massachusetts, has appealed the decision.

"This is not the train that we were promised," Davis said. "We were promised an 80 mph train."

Because the train stops at stations and slows down in in other places, such as on curves, the average speed for the trip is actually 41 mph.

Guilford's appeal should be resolved soon, said Ron Roy, director of passenger transportation for the state Department of Transportation

Roy said it's possible to reduce the trip time to Boston by 15 minutes - and make it a 2 1/2-hour trip - even if the train never goes faster than 60 mph.

Guilford has also proposed that Amtrak make some track improvements that would allow the train to get to Boston quicker, such as side tracks that would allow trains to pass. Amtrak is now reviewing that proposal.

Also, the MBTA, which operates the tracks in Massachusetts, plans to make improvements that would allow the train to go faster, Roy said.

Rail officials said they are also looking at the feasibility of buying another train and adding train trips. Right now, the service operates only four trips a day. They are also planning to extend the service to Freeport and Brunswick by 2007, and that should boost revenues.

The service has proved itself as the superior way to travel in snow storms. In the most recent storm, air and bus travel between Portland and Boston were canceled, and automobile travel was foolhardy.

The Downeaster made the trip on time, packed with passengers who had no other choice.

"It was the only thing moving," Davis said.

Staff Writer Tom Bell can be contacted at 791-6369 or at: tbell@pressherald.com