BRUNSWICK (AP) – After a 41-year hiatus, passenger trains are about to begin running on a regular schedule between Rockland and Brunswick.

The rail revival gets under way in the midcoast region Saturday when Maine Eastern Railroad begins offering excursion service four days a week.

“An entire generation has missed out on this experience,” said Jonathan F. Shute, Maine Eastern Railroad’s general manager, who was standing on the rear observation deck of the passenger train as it jiggled around a sharp curve in the vicinity of Wiscasset.

Chute was among more than 100 invited guests who rode the train north from Brunswick to Rockland on Tuesday.

Rail enthusiasts hope the line, with stops in Bath and Wiscasset, will generate the excitement and the funding they believe will be needed to extend passenger rail service north from Portland to Brunswick.

Many of the passengers had not been on a train since they were children and several said the reclining seats, air conditioned coaches, the scenic views, and friendly atmosphere might entice them to return.

“I drive Route 1 all the time but I don’t get to see the countryside,” said Mercie Normand, a Brunswick innkeeper.

Last year, Maine Eastern Railroad, which already operated a freight service on the state-owned Brunswick to Rockland line, was asked by Gov. John Baldacci to transport passengers from Brunswick to the Lobster Festival in Rockland.

This year, Maine Eastern Railroad decided to expand its passenger service.

It plans to run trains between Brunswick and Rockland from Thursday through Sunday between July 2 and Sept. 2. Weekend-only service will be offered from Sept. 2 through Oct. 31.

Gordon Fuller, vice president and chief executive officer of Maine Eastern, said the company has the capacity to sell 17,000 seats this season. Fuller said he expects about 70 percent of those seats to be purchased.

Fuller and Maine Eastern Railroad President, Wes Weiss, say their passenger train service’s future may hinge on rail service being extended north from Portland.

But state transportation officials say that passenger rail service between Portland and Brunswick is still about five years away from becoming a reality.

The state will need about $60 million to upgrade the line to make it safe to carry passengers, said Tracy C. Perez, a policy specialist with the Maine Department of Transportation’s Office of Passenger Transportation. Perez said the state will investigate federal funding.

“We are definitely looking at extending it, but like anything it is going to require a major investment,” said Patricia Douglas, acting executive director for the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority.

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