 |
| Photo Credit: AP. |
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Rail advocates are dusting off a proposal for passenger train service between Montreal and Boston, riding a renewed interest in train travel to bolster a concept that has been around for more than a decade.
“It’s not a
hard sell at all. A lot of people want this,” said Francois Rebello, a former
national assembly member in Quebec and a consultant on the project.
Hundreds of
travelers would ride a privately operated, overnight train each day if
obstacles can be overcome to make the service a reality in coming years, according
to a ridership study.
It wouldn’t
be a high-speed affair. Promoters envision a different experience — a relaxed
ride with a meal and sleep before arriving bright-eyed at the destination. The
14-hour ride would travel through Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont
and Quebec.
The proposal
comes against a backdrop of a rail revival, and more than $100 billion in
railway infrastructure funding approved by Congress.
Maine State
Sen. Richard Bennett, a Republican who lives in a district where the train
would pass, said there’s much work to be done.
“I’m both
excited and skeptical,” he said. “I certainly support the concept and I think
it has a lot of promise. I think this can be done.”
A market
study suggests about 4,000 people travel daily between Montreal and Boston, and
about 1,000 of them would opt for rail service if it’s available, Rebello said.
The service would be profitable with only 200 riders, he said.
But the
proposal is in the early stages and the obstacles are many.
The track on
the Canadian side of the border requires more than $100 million in upgrades and
repairs. The track is in good shape through northern New England but the speed
is limited to about 35 mph (56 kph) for a long stretch, and there’s little hope
of securing additional funding to boost the speed.
Operators
would have to negotiate agreements with several private owners of the rail —
the Saint Lawrence and Atlantic, CSX and others — and there could be multiple
crews required for the train. Then there’s the question of clearing customs
with people coming and going at multiple train stops, and finding scarce
equipment.
The idea for
restoring Montreal-to-Boston passenger rail service for the first time since
the 1960s has been bounced around for more than a decade, and several different
rail routes have been floated over the years.
This time,
the proposed route would follow Canadian Pacific Railway track from Montreal to
Sherbrooke, Quebec, and then the St. Lawrence and Atlantic across Vermont, New
Hampshire and
Maine, where
a CSX-owned rail passes through Old Orchard Beach, a popular Maine tourist
destination for Canadians. The final stretch is operated by the Massachusetts
Bay Transit Authority.
Carl Fowler,
a member of the Vermont Rail Advisory Council, is a rail advocate who likes the
idea of expanded passenger rail service. But he said people have to be
realistic about the proposal’s challenges.
“There are a
lot of loose ends to be resolved,” he said.
Proponents
have engaged with the Canadian Pacific Railway and the corporate parent of St.
Lawrence and Atlantic, and the Canadian government already has considered investing
in railway upgrades, Rebello said. Montreal real estate entrepreneur Nikolai
Ray has signed on an investor.
About 60
rail advocates, legislators, tourism officials and others gathered recently in
Coaticook, Quebec, to discuss the vision promoted by Montreal-based Fondation
Trains De Nuit, or Night Train Foundation, and view a proposed map. Notably
absent were state transportation officials from Maine, New Hampshire and
Vermont.
But the
project won’t start anytime soon. The most optimistic view is that the project
would need at least two years to become a reality, he said. However, it could
take longer to secure funding and rail agreements.
A motorist
could get from Boston to Montreal twice as fast but rail advocates say riders
would get there in style. People could have dinner, be entertained and sleep in
a comfortable bed, proponents say. They’d also be spared the cost of a hotel
fee, since they’d be sleeping and showering on the train, supporters said.
The project
holds appeal both for older riders who are nostalgic about trains and a younger
generation that’s less enthralled with cars, Rebello said.
Rail
enthusiast Sarah LeBaron von Baeyer, who lives outside Boston and doesn’t
drive, said she “wholeheartedly” embraces mass transit that would allow her to
visit family and friends in Canada several times a year.
“I love
train travel. I lived in Japan for many years. It was absolutely the best way
to get around,” she said.
Associated
Press writers Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vermont, and Holly Ramer in Concord,
New Hampshire, contributed to this story.
Follow David
Sharp on Twitter @David_Sharp_AP