NNEPRA Settles on Site for New Portland Station

This article provides additional details on NNEPRA's decision to move its Portland Station from the Transportation Center to the mainline. Three possible relocation sites were analyzed, and NNEPRA decided on a St. John Street location opposite the Metro bus headquarters.

https://www.nnepra.com/project/portland-station-relocation/

The new location would shave 15 minutes off Amtrak Downeaster's northbound and southbound trips - time now spent moving the train on and off a branch of the CSX main line to reach the existing station at the Portland Transportation Center at Thompson's Point.

 

 According to NNEPRA, the move would eliminate 20 train movements daily along the spur and would save nearly $1 million in labor and fuel costs annually, while also improving access to and reliability of the Downeaster.

It's unclear how many private properties along St. John Street would have to be purchased or taken by eminent domain. 

NNEPRA is seeking public comment on the chosen location and conceptual plan through Aug. 27.

The future site, chosen in June by the authority's board of directors, is located just south of the spur, which would allow the train to remain on the mainline when traveling between Brunswick and Boston.

Selected from three possible sites along St. John Street, it also meets the authority's goals to improve access to vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle connections, public transit, train maintenance and additional rail service, according to the proposal.

"This site provides the most opportunity and flexibility for train operations," Patricia Quinn, executive director of the authority, said in a phone interview Monday. "It also really maximizes connectivity for rail access and mobility."

Two other sites considered were further north along St. John Street, on either side of Congress Street. One was adjacent to the Cumberland County Jail and a strip mall that replaced the Union Station complex, which was torn down in 1961. The other site was on the west side of the main line tracks, behind McDonald's, Amato's and other businesses between Congress Street and Park Avenue.

MaineHealth had a variety of safety concerns about the potential impact of moving the station near the strip mall, according to the proposal. Northern Light Mercy said it would "work collaboratively to explore options" for the preferred site "that can be mutually beneficial as long as the integrity of our campus and the safety of our employees and patients are preserved."

The proposal for a new station, including an architect's conceptual rendering and a form to submit feedback, is posted on the authority's website. 

Next steps in the planning process include developing preliminary engineering and environmental compliance plans and a cost estimate for the project; and seeking federal funding and non-federal matching funds for final design and construction.

Quinn has said previously that a new train station and platforms would cost $25 million to $30 million and could be completed within five years.

How many or which properties along St. John Street would have to be purchased or taken by eminent domain is unknown, Quinn said. The project area hasn't been surveyed, but property owners who would be affected have been notified, she said.

"We're very early in the process," she said. "We haven't begun negotiations."

Also unknown is whether the preferred site would satisfy the authority's goal to provide 105 parking spaces at the new station, Quinn said.

According to the proposal, the new station would include adjacent parking with a circulation area for passenger drop off and pick up.

It also would include two boarding platforms — one on each side of the main line tracks — within the railroad right of way; a federally compliant accessible pedestrian bridge over the tracks; and a 750-square-foot, climate-controlled passenger waiting area with ticketing and restrooms.

"A main line station with double platforms would only require a two-minute station stop," the proposal states.

An article reported in Mass Transit Magazine - originally pubished in the Portland Press Herald

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