Stephen Betts’ June 19 BDN article about a possible change of contract operators on the Rockland Branch (the stretch of rail running from Brunswick to Rockland) noted the possibility of restoring scheduled passenger service, which was discontinued by Maine Central Railroad back in 1960. Fifteen years earlier, Rockland had three weekday through trains to and from Boston and one on Sundays. At the end, a single daily-except-Sunday turn was offered from Portland, with Boston connections.
Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority talks of service to communities between Rockland and Brunswick, connecting with Amtrak’s “Downeaster” at Brunswick in an attempt to stimulate disappointing rail ridership there. Travelers are more interested in transportation flexibility in terms of schedule frequency and destination options than being captive to a particular mode. Those options are readily available via train and motorcoach at the strategically situated Portland Transportation Center, not at Brunswick.
For potential patrons of Rockland Branch trains, Brunswick offers only “Downeaster” departures at 7:05 a.m., meaning a 5:05 a.m. boarding at Rockland (allowing two hours for the trip, intermediate stops, and a change of trains) and 10:30 a.m. arrival at Boston’s North Station. The less popular 5:25 p.m. southbound run would need to leave Rockland at 3:25 p.m. to reach Boston at 10 p.m.
In the opposite direction, the present 9:05 a.m. departure from North Station arrives in Brunswick at 12:25 p.m., implying a scheduled Rockland arrival at 2:25 p.m. The evening train leaves Boston at 5:00 p.m., arriving at Brunswick at 8:30 p.m. and potentially Rockland at 10:30 p.m. Neither the northbound or southbound schedule is a very appealing proposition for midcoast-region patrons beyond Brunswick
Whatever market exists at Rockland and its environs — now with a daily motor coach in each direction, supplemented by a second during the summer months — would be far better served by trains making connections at Portland than at Brunswick. Offerings there include three more daily round trips to North Station, 17 buses to South Station (accessing the rest of the disconnected Amtrak network), and 15 on the Logan Airport route. It’s as easy to transfer from train to bus as train to train.
The Maine Department of Transportation’s recently issued request for proposals for private freight operation of the state-owned Brunswick-Rockland rail line reflects a clear disposition for scheduled passenger service to be provided as well. Unlike the hopeful “build-it-and-they-will-come” approach taken with the “Downeaster,” public demand along that corridor could be tested quite easily without the major long-term infrastructure commitment required elsewhere in the interest of safety and speed.
Major track rehabilitation in 2004 makes a service extension to Rockland physically feasible at relatively low additional cost, but the likely consumer response is conjectural in the absence of definitive market research. If the market cannot support more than a daily year-round bus, why should a far more costly train be expected to prove more attractive?
Better value could be added for potential Rockland Branch passengers by facilitating direct access to Freeport and an array of connections at Portland rather than a change of train and limited rail offerings at Brunswick. Maine transportation planners should think of public transportation in inclusive terms, not as rail versus bus. The 58-mile Rockland route would have greater appeal for intrastate commutation to Portland and intermodal transfer there than for limited longer-distance travel exclusively on Amtrak from Brunswick.
George C. Betke Jr. is president of Transport Economics Inc., a Newcastle consultancy.