PORTLAND — A federal grant for track upgrades in Massachusetts will smooth out bumpy sections of track and set the stage for another daily round trip for Amtrak’s Downeaster between Boston and Portland, officials said Monday.
The $20.8 million will be used to eliminate a bottleneck by extending double track between Wilmington and Andover, Mass., allowing trains to pass each other, as well as replacing older welded rail and making other improvements, said Patricia Quinn, executive director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority.
The U.S. Department of Transportation grant, announced by U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, was made possible by Florida’s rejection of $2.4 billion in funding for rail projects.
While the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority applied for the grant, the track is owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which will make the improvements.
The changes could trim another 15 minutes from the running time, bringing the service closer to a goal of completing the Portland-to-Boston route in less than two hours, said Wayne Davis, president of TrainRiders Northeast, a rail advocacy group based in Portland.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.