Amtrak to Wiscasset (and Rockland) in 2018?

[Ed Lecuyer]

Looks like they are going to try extending the Downeaster to Rockland (via Wiscasset) in 2018:
http://www.mainebiz.biz/article/20171025/NEWS01/171029968

Maybe Amtrak will view us as a destination/attraction rather than a competitor (like Maine Eastern did.)

[Bill Reidy]

More here:  http://www.pressherald.com/2017/10/25/amtrak-exploring-plan-to-extend-passenger-service-as-far-as-rockland/

and here:  http://bangordailynews.com/2017/10/24/business/rail-group-eyes-amtrak-service-to-rockland-by-summer-2018/

Maybe Amtrak will view us as a destination/attraction rather than a competitor...

We'll have to send the Model AA down to Wiscasset to pick up passengers.  Or the Yeti.

[John Kokas]

Better start getting ahold of the Amtrak sales and marketing people for advertising and maybe "package" deals.  Could be a boom for our ridership.......

[Carl G. Soderstrom]

"Ride Amtrak Boston to Wiscasset with connections to Head Tide."  "Stopping at Sheepscot, Alna Station, and Moose Trout Brook Bridge."

[Alex Harvilchuck]

Need to restore our connection to the National Rail Network! Onwards to Wiscasset!

[Joe Fox]

If trains run to Wiscasset again, hopefully the towns nearby help advertise nearby attractions such as WW&F, Boothbay Railway Village, the Botanical Gardens, and much more.

[Mike Fox]

Problem is it is a long walk to any or all of those from the station site..

[Tom Casper]

Problem is it is a long walk to any or all of those from the station site..

Mike, it will bring gold to all the Uber & Lyft drivers.

Tom C.

[Joe Fox]

Or even the need for a public bus shuttle to take people to desired destinations or tours.

[Win Nowell]

This is indeed good news for the midcoast region! It will certainly create a need for a jitney service in the area.
Win Nowell

[Paul Uhland]

Extending Amtrak passenger service through Wiscasset would be a huge win for WW&F and the area .
American Airlines plans to start regional service from LGA NYC next April to nearby Portland. More good news.
Maybe WW&F should invest in a couple more flatbed Model AAs, complete with hay bale seats, for authentic Wiscasset-Sheepscot shuttle service. 
Think of the nationwide publicity! 

[Wayne Laepple]

To my way of thinking, it would make a lot more sense to extend the Brunswick trains to the state capital of Augusta rather than to Rockland. There are certainly more people in Augusta who could use the service, and some of them are influential in state politics. Making the 50-some-mile run to Wiscasset in under two hours would be a real stretch, while Augusta is 33 miles.

[Joe Fox]

Me personally do not see where any of those lines will be profitable. Amtrak went to Brunswick to try to ease congestion on 295, and it did not work. Why? Because us as Americans would rather deal with traffic and have our own wheels to get us there on short hauls. The line is only profitable from Wells south because that is where the most commuters start to get on to take the train to Boston. Very few people if any ride the train from Portland to Brunswick, and vice versa.

[Bob Holmes]

Remember, they are only currently talking about a seasonal tourist-based traffic schedule.  We should encourage that for a whole lot of reasons.  Perhaps it can be another gateway toward Amtrak service to L/A and further north in the future.

[John McNamara]

I have great hopes for expanded service to Freeport, as it is a "destination resort" with lots of attractions within walking distance of the station. This is not true for Wiscasset and Rockland.