Brunswick Layover Facility:

It took nearly four years, but the construction equipment is now working at the layover property in Brunswick.

The facility will house three train sets and reduce emissions and noise while enabling light maintenance year round. A particular benefit to maintenance crews is the ability to do their work out of the elements, particularly during winter months.

TrainRiders/NE welcomed three important passenger rail leaders to our 27th Annual Meeting at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. 

Amtrak Briefing: The Keynote speaker was Drew Galloway, Amtrak's Deputy Chief of NEC Planning & Performance. His grasp of the Northeast Corridor's growth and challenges was impressive to all who attended.

Executive Director Patricia Quinn and her staff reported details of FY2014 to a packed meeting room of interested parties. Here are selected items from the Annual Report:

Performance Statistics:

• • 4% increase in Ridership - 536,524 total
  • 6.2% increase in Revenue - $8.6 total
  • 58% On Time Performance 

On Time Performance

MBTA work on the Shawsheen River Bridges required weekend track outages and forced 12 Downeaster trains to be cancelled. The severe winter created severe track conditions in the spring, resulting in the cancellation of 24 additional trains and the estimated loss of 4,000 riders and $64,000 in revenue.

Passenger Profile

Passengers chose to ride the Downeaster for a variety of reasons:

• • 45% - Leisure
  • 28% - Visit friends and family
  • 17% - Business
  • 2% - Medical
  • 2% - College
  • 6% - Other

During FY2014

• • 57% - Traveled to or from Maine (66% of revenue)
  • 30% - Traveled between NH and Boston (25% of revenue)
  • 25% - Traveled on passes (16% of revenue)

Customer Satisfaction

Throughout the year of challenges, passsengers continually ranked the Downeaster the highest among Amtrak trains for customer service with an overall satisfaction rating of 93%.

FY2015

NNEPRA projects a 3% drop in ridership due mainly to tie replacement & bridge projects.

Our 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!

The atmosphere couldn't have been more upbeat as NNEPRA Executive Director Patricia Quinn reported on September's performance statistics and commented on the much anticipated Inaugural Run to Freeport and Brunswick on November 1st. Of the performance states, Ms. Quinn characterized them as "phenomenal."

Her analysis stated: "The first quarter of FY2013 was record setting for the Downeaster. All-time high monthly ridership of 53,740 in July was surpassed in August when ridership soared to 57,853. Fiscal year to date, the Downeaster has transported 159,984 passengers, the equivalent of 13.3 million passenger miles, generating $2.3 million in revenue. This represents a 9% ridership increase and a 15.8% revenue increase over the first quarter of FY 2012."

When it comes to superlatives, our chairman - Wayne Davis - finds it hard to find that horn to toot regarding his accomplishments. Fortunately, there are others who know of his extraordinary vision and are willing and able to 'blow that horn' over how he transformed public transportation along the Brunswick-Boston corridor (That 'corridor' will be expanded by another 30 miles to Brunswick on November 1st).

Tom Bell's excellent article, quoting past and present public officials, is a fitting tribute to Wayne who delivered the Downeaster to a public yearning to use Amtrak as their second car. It can be read in the Portland Press Herald. {jcomments on}

Each time Amtrak and our New England state-supported railroads report passenger data, new records are set.

Amtrak Report:

Amtrak's nationwide system carried 31,240,565 passengers in the fiscal year that ended September 30th. When Amtrak includes the Downeaster numbers in their fiscal year report, the Maine-based passenger service grew to a new record of more than 541,000 passengers, up 4.3% (Keep in mind, that NNEPRA's fiscal year is July-June and Amtrak's is October-September). NNEPRA recently reported that in their recent fiscal year they carried 528,000 passengers. Whichever report you use, the numbers are strong and getting stronger. You can view the full Amtrak press release here.

Amtrak and the Downeaster are launching a pilot program called eTicketing. It promises to be a major step forward in issuing and processing tickets.

Here's a summary:

• Starting at 8 a.m. on November 1st you can print your eTicket at home (it's a PDF file) and bring it to the train - no need to process it through the Quik-Trak machine
• If you lose it, you can print it again
• The Quik-Trak machines can stil be used - they will print out an eTicket at the end of their transactions
• Amtrak.com transactions will email you an eTicket - print it out and bring it to the train
• All these tickets are scanned by the conductors once you're on the train - that includes scanning the eTicket bar code as displayed on a smart phone!

More specifics regarding the ticketing improvement can be viewed here. This is only happening on the Downeaster route - once the kinks are ironed out, it will be rolled out nationwide. Once again the Downeaster leads the nation.

Amtrak Wi-Fi

Amtrak has installed a 'more robust' free Wi-Fi system on the Downeaster and it will begin operation on Monday, October 31st.

Like the current system, it still uses the cell towers along the route and there are specific limitations in order to maximize access:

• Streaming media will be blocked
• Downloading of files larger than 10 MB will be blocked
• VPN will not be supported
• Inappropriate content will be blocked

The Train Hosts will be looking for passenger feedback on both these improvements.{jcomments on}

The NNEPRA Board, after discussing emailed objections from nearly a dozen NH riders, approved a new fare schedule.

Several Exeter riders were concerned that their monthly pass to Boston would rise from $259 to $279, or $20. In 2005, the pass cost $188. Since then it has risen $91 in several steps or a 48% increase over six years. Executive Director Patricia Quinn noted that higher fuel costs were but one of the factors in the equation (Downeaster fuel has risen 150% since 2005). One board member suggested that Downeaster funding contributions from Concord and Boston could eventually moderate such increases. The new fare structure can be viewed here.

First Quarter FY 2012 Performance

• Ridership: 146,519 vs. 136,837 in Q1 FY11
• Revenue:  $2,060,452 vs. $2,008,857 in Q1 FY11
• Rider Miles: 12,151,588 vs. 11,216,364 in Q1 FY11
• On Time Perfomance: 58% vs. 67% in Q1 FY11

The poor OTP was due in part to the N. Berwick accident and subsequent rail/crossing rehab. Other slow orders along the PanAm portion in Plaistow and Old Orchard Beach are expected to be cleared up within the next month. MBTA slow orders are of a longer duration due to extensive construction. 

Pam Am continues to make good progress on the Portland to Brunswick rehab. The Brunswick platform work is slightly behind schedule - awaiting some custom concrete materials - but the Freeport platform is ahead of schedule and will likely be completed by December 1st. Look for crew qualification runs along the line this spring!

UPDATE #3 - Nov. 21, 2011: TRN Chair Wayne Davis and board member Bob Hall comment on positive congressional action regarding the Downeaster. Go to Seacoastonline.com.

LATE UPDATE #2 - Nov, 14, 2011: The Senate/House Conference Committee has reported out a reconciled bill that preserves the Downeaster, as well as 14 other state-operated railroads, and continues Amtrak funding but at a lower level. All High Speed Rail monies were eliminated.

The original House bill would have eliminated the state-operated railroads and reduced Amtrak funding to 'draconian' levels. The Senate bill has essentially prevailed.

Now both houses of congress must approved the compromise bill and send it to the president for his signature.

The Press Herald has the story with quotes from Sen. Collins, TRN Chair Wayne Davis and NNEPRA Executive Director Patricia Quinn. Go here. NARP has a more detailed report on their blog.

The ying and the yang of the Amtrak story is never more evident than in the following two items:

• Amtrak ridership exceeds 30 milllion! Amtrak press release.
• The National Association of Railroad Passengers requests members contact their US senators to ensure continued national and state Amtrak funding. NARP statement.

These are the best of times and potentially the worst of times as record ridership on Amtrak nationally - 30.2 million - and a record year for the Downeaster - 500,000+ - must at the same time confront congressional efforts by some to gut or kill both. We recommend that you use the NARP link to easily send an email to your US senator. Decades of accomplishment are at risk during the coming year.{jcomments on}

NNEPRA has issued a notice for public comment regarding proposed Downeaster fare increases.

In summary, from the NNEPRA notice:

• One-Way Peak fares between most city pairs will increase by $1.00
• Monthly Commuter Passes will increase 0%-7% based on city pairs.
• 10-Ride Passes will increase 0%-5% based on city pairs.

Adjusting fares to meet rising costs allows NNEPRA to stay within budget and reduce the impact on taxpayer contributions.

The Town of Exeter, NH, takes community involvement in economic development seriously. Two open forums were held this past week to solicit ideas from the citizens on how best to develop the area around the Downeaster train station.

Bob Hall, president of the Exeter Train Station Committee and a board member of TrainRiders/NE, has been one of several town leaders pushing for a development plan that is responsive to Exeter's future needs.

The full article can be viewed at SeaCoastOnline.

In the midst of tough economic times, the Downeaster continues to shine with ridership and revenue numbers looking very good.

Executive Director Patricia Quinn provided the following report on the first three months of FY 2011 (July, Aug, Sept):

• Ridership: 136,837 passengers - 3% increase over the same period last year.
• Revenue: $2,008,857 million - 3% increase over the same period last year.
• Passenger Miles: 11,216,364 - 3.1% increase over the same period last year
• On Time Performance: 67% (still low but improving - Sept was 76%)
• Busiest train: #685 averaging 294 passengers per day, followed by #680 with 250/day and 682 with 234/day.
• Overall Customer Satisfaction: 94% (Amtrak = 80%)

The FRA announced a $600 thousand planning grant to NNEPRA that will focus on how best to improve travel time and frequency between Portland and Boston as well as examing the issue of a new intown station for Portland.

The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway, a freight railroad that serves northern Maine, will be purchased by the state in an agreement reached between the railroad and the Department of Transportation. The purchase will prevent the abandonement of 233 miles of track and preserve, according to the MDOT press release, up to 1,000 jobs. An additional $10.5 million from the USDOT will be allocated to upgrading tracks and signals.

TrainRiders/Northeast has encouraged the acquisition of the rail line so that northern Maine businesses remain connected to the national rail network.

The full press release is available here.

Amtrak says it set a new ridership record for its 2010 fiscal year, carrying 28.7 million passengers and collecting $1.74 billion in ticket revenue.

Ridership overall was up 5.7 percent from last year.

Amtrak says gains were especially strong on the Vermonter, where ridership increased 16.5 percent to 86,245.

The full story can been seen here.

The October NNEPRA Board Meeting discussed a fare increase for certain Downeaster tickets.

The rationale is as follows:

This fare plan presents the proposed fare structure for one-way Downeaster tickets, 10-ride passes and monthly commuter passes.

The September Performance Report offers the following good news:

• Ridership of 43,955 made September 2008 another record breaker for the Downeaster, with an increase of 20.7% over last year.
  
• With an average of 1,465 riders per day, the Downeaster generated $592,862 in ticket revenue for the month, an increase of 17.2% over last year.
• September marked the completion of the first quarter of FY2009. Downeaster ridership is pacing about 30% ahead of last year and about 14% better than projected for the first quarter of FY09.