Potential Site Selected in Portland, Maine, for a New Amtrak Downeaster Train Station

The Amtrak Downeaster broke records in 2023 for ridership. Lots of people are taking the train, but the Downeaster has a problem.

Ever since passenger rail service was extended beyond Portland to make stops in Freeport and Brunswick, the current Portland Transportation Center is not an efficient location to load and unload passengers.

The center is located off CSX Transportation's main rail line, so to board and de-board passengers, the train has to pull in, then back out to continue to Freeport and Brunswick. It's a process that takes about 15 minutes, shaving precious time off the train's schedule.

The New England Passenger Rail Authority announced this week that they have chosen a potential site to build a new station off St. John Street in Portland, not far from where the Mountain Division branch connects with the main line.

Here's some concept art of what the station would look like. It would have two platforms, one on each set of tracks, and passengers can cross from one side to the other over a pedestrian bridge that also accesses the Mercy Hospital campus.

NNEPRA Executive Director Patricia Quinn told News Center Maine that a formal recommendation for the site will be made in a week or so. She also said that this new location would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel and labor costs.

None of this is set in stone yet. But this concept art of the new station looks to be just what the Downeaster needs to be even more convenient for passengers.