PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 3, 2021
There are two vital, forward-looking initiatives being heard this year by the Legislature’s Transportation Committee. The first, L.D. 227, requests a study for passenger train service from Brunswick through Augusta to Bangor. This route would allow 90 percent of Mainers to access a rail system within an hour of their home and would build on the great Downeaster service to Portland, Boston and beyond. The second initiative is L.D. 991, asking for a final study for train service from Portland to Lewiston-Auburn. The “Transit Tomorrow” report is a great beginning for the Portland area, but visionary plans are needed for the entire state of Maine, and L.D. 227 and L.D. 991 are two bills to launch the process. ~ Peter Cole, Topsham