Ross--Wayne-2014Our 26th Annual Meeting was held on Oct. 16th at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. Our keynote speaker was Ross Capon, Transportation Consultant and President Emeritus of the National Association of Railroad Passengers. Ross has testified countless times before Congress on behalf of railroad passengers. He is a member of the Federal Railroad Administration's Railroad Safety Advisory Committee along other federal and rail transportation boards. Ross shared his extensive knowledge of Amtrak's struggles to find congressional funding over the years. He is a long-time friend of TrainRiders/Northeast can be seen on the Downeaster as he vacations in Maine.

Patricia Quinn, NNEPRA Executive Director, displayed her 'numbers game' which was an easily digestible story of the Downeaster's successes and challenges. 

Wayne announced an intiative to expand Downeaster service to New York City - it would be a direct route, bypassing the North and South Station bottlenecks. Video: http://youtu.be/YTJI5DJuc8E

MPBN report: http://news.mpbn.net/post/rail-riders-seek-better-connections-between-maine-and-new-york

PPH article on drone video of BLF site: http://www.pressherald.com/2014/10/23/drone-deployed-in-brunswick-battle-over-rail-facility/

In addition, an eye-riveting video of the Brunswick Layover Facility site was unveiled, analyzed by Jeff Reynolds who lives in the West Brunswick neighborhood.

A fine and informative evening was enjoyed by all!