nnepraThe Board of Directors of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority voted unanimously on Monday to build their $4 million dollar passenger train maintenance facility on an 8-acre parcel near Bouchard Drive in Brunswick.  The consulting group hired by the Authority to evaluate 3 potential sites made their recommendations late last week, suggesting the Bouchard Drive property as their first choice because of its previous use as a rail yard for many years, its proximity to Maine Street Station and its cost effectiveness.

Patricia Quinn, Executive Director of the Rail Authority told reporters that she plans to create an advisory group to guide the design of the facility that would include the Consultants, NNEPRA staff, the Brunswick municipal planner and a member of the Board of Selectmen and several property owners living adjacent to the proposed facility.

The proposed 60,000 square-foot building will allow Amtrak to perform indoor maintenance and refueling work on the three train sets that operate the daily service.  The trains are expected to begin operating between Brunswick, Portland and Boston next autumn.

The Forecaster.com has a summary article on the process - go here.{jcomments on}