Compromise may get Amtrak service in Maine going

One reason train service has been late coming to Portland has been disagreement over how fast Amtrak?s Downeaster should travel. On one side, Amtrak and the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority in Maine have said they want the Downeaster to travel at a top speed of 79 miles per hour. On the other side, Guilford Rail System, owner of the rails, has maintained that 59mph should be the top speed. Last week, Micheal Murray, executive director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, or NNEPRA, announced the train would travel at the slower speed, at least to start.
10 322, ?I am prepared to recommend to the northern new England passenger rail directors that the service be allowed to commence at 60mph providing that we have filed with the surface transportation board who will ultimately resolve the issue of 60 versus 79. 10 347

NNEPRA and Amtrak went before the Surface Transportation Board, in 1999, and received preliminary approval to run the train at 79mph. NNEPRA?s Michael Murray says the higher speed is necessary to compete for customers with other modes of travel, such as inter city bus service.
10 646 ?They can do this run in roughly two hours, depending on weather conditions and traffic. My best run at 60 is roughly 2 hours and 40 minutes. At 79, that can be reduced to approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. 10 709 certainly, in this instance the additional speed will certainly make us more competitive. 10 718

Guilford officials say they oppose the higher speed for safety reasons. They argue that the rail supports safe transport at 59mph, not 20 miles per hour faster.
But Bill Epstein, director of government affairs for Amtrak?s Northeast Corridor says, Amtrak finds Guilford?s current argument odd, given its past position.
2 33 we find that an interesting argument to make, because it was Guilford that agreed with the rail authority and with Amtrak that the standard that was being established for these tracks would allow trains to run safely at 79mph. So, we?re not sure why they?re saying that right now, but we believe it is not a safety issue. That the design of the tracks can more than accommodate travel at more than 79mph. 2 58

Even though the speed issue is temporarily resolved, the project is still a few steps from completion. According to officials, there are still several miles of rails that need to be upgraded. And Amtrak needs a layover facility in Portland, to park and maintain the train when not in use. Plus, the line needs stations for stops in Dover, Durham and Exeter along New Hampshire?s seacoast. Jim Marshall, an official at the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, says construction has been delayed while the state works out an agreement with Guilford Rail, which owns the land.
8 28 ?the primary issue is dealing with contamination that may be present in the soil, and who will be responsible for any cleanup of that soil. And we believe at this point that we have reached, at least an understanding with Guilford. 8 51 on how to address that with proper insurance coverage. 8 56

Guilford and NNEPRA need to work out a similar arrangement for the layover facility. The two sides say they have an agreement for it, but critics of the project say they aren?t so sure. In fact, Chop Hardenberg, Publisher and editor of Atlantic Northeast Rails and Ports, a Portland, Maine based publication, says the delay in getting the layover facility and stations built is emblematic of difficulties that NNEPRA and Amtrak have had with Guilford.
19 229 every single issue for 11 years, has been fought by the two parties. Guilford fighting every inch of the way for every dollar they can get. 19 244

Guilford officials say this accusation is simply not true. And Guilford president David Fink denies charges that the company focuses on hauling freight, to the exclusion of passenger service. Fink says Guilford is willing to listen to any idea that promises to make money.
we?re businessmen, david, I guess that?s the bottom line. If passenger trains can add to my bottom line I?m very interested in it. As long as its done safely. 1 57

Critics say Guilford never wanted to allow passenger service, and that the company benefits from the state?s 47 million dollar investment in the line, since Guilford?s freight trains can go faster. But Guilford?s David Fink denies this, and says he had no choice but allow passenger service, since Amtrak has federal authority to run its trains on Guilford?s rails.
6 I didn?t ask for this track. Didn?t request it. They came into my company and said this is what the law requires you to do. I obey the law. Do I benefit? Not really, because I?m not going to run my trains any faster. My freight trains are 35 and 40 mph now, and they?ll be 35 and 40 mph when this is done. 6 24

Fink says he looks forward to seeing the Downeaster run between Portland and Boston. But the long delays have critics like Chop Hardenberg of Atlantic Northeast Rails and Ports saying that perhaps Guilford has all it wants right now, and is just biding its time.
22 30 you could say if you were Guilford, well geez, we?ll hold them off as long as we can and maybe they?ll go away and we?ll have an improved rail line. And that?s why state representative chris hall wrote his op ed piece ?saying, we want our money back.

Lawmakers in Maine have seen projected start dates for the train service come and go for several years. Now at least one member of the Maine Legislature thinks its time to pull out of the deal. But officials of NNEPRA, Amtrak and Guilford say they?re working to begin service in June. That start date may be optimistic given the project?s history, but, for the time being, if the train starts running, it will travel at 59 miles per hour.

For N-H-P-R News, I?m DD