PORTLAND (AP) — Amtrak’s Downeaster is wrapping up the worst month for train cancellations since the passenger rail service launched more than a decade ago.

The train’s on-time performance usually runs around 80 percent but it dipped to about 15 percent in July and ridership has dropped because of delays and cancelations caused by track repairs following a harsh winter.

Patricia Quinn of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority said Pan Am Railways, which owns the track between Brunswick and the Massachusetts border, has been replacing 2,000 rail ties.

She said trains should be on time next week.

Despite the delays that began in June, the Downeaster closed its fiscal year on June 30 with a 4.7 percent increase in ridership and record ticket revenue of $8.6 million.


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