Rail Events and News

From HSRA:

Houston’s project is far more expensive and delay-plagued than California high-speed rail. It will cost an estimated $13 billion for the 25 miles of work, or nearly $500 million per mile. The projected cost of the high-speed line from San Francisco to LA is $128 billion, or a little over $200 million per mile.

But costs aren’t the only or even most relevant way to compare the projects. Consider the value they’ll deliver (or not) when they’re finished. 

Read the whole article at 

https://www.hsrail.org/blog/why-do-they-hate-california-high-speed-rail-because-it-could-actually-succeed/?emci=2409428c-9f95-f011-b484-6045bdeb7413&emdi=2b09428c-9f95-f011-b484-6045bdeb7413&ceid=2217544

While Maine isn't ready yet for HSR - we need to start the demand.  This article discusses what advantages for the East Coast Corridor to develop HSR (ultimately to Portland) but what forces are stopping it from occurring. https://sf.streetsblog.org/2025/08/28/commentary-the-real-reason-trump-opposes-high-speed-rail-isnt-about-trains-its-about-power

Bring back our freight rail lines and save Maine roads!  Virginia is leading the way.

https://www.railwayage.com/freight/virginia-drpt-breaks-record-in-truck-diversion-via-freight-rail-programs/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=53369

 The nation’s passenger railroad is adapting to White House priorities, such as by dropping high-speed rail projects. However, overall Cuts not as bad as some feared. https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/amtrak-trump-duffy-next-four-years/752487/ 

  Boston Mayor Wu’s Administration Forces Chelsea, Charlestown Transit Riders to Wait In More Traffic. The change comes just weeks before the MBTA rolls out a new bus lane enforcement system, which is expected to improve bus service considerably – at least on the dwindling number of streets where dedicated bus lanes still exist. (maybe trains are the better option?) https://mass.streetsblog.org/2025/07/08/another-bus-lane-bites-the-dust-wu-administration-forces-chelsea-charlestown-transit-riders-to-wait-in-more-traffic.

The Train’s Fare Box Doesn’t Pay for Itself — And That’s Okay

In his keynote address, John Robert Smith, Chairman of Transportation for America, acknowledged that most rail services are not profitable based solely on farebox revenue. Noting that this is also true for other modes of transportation, he stressed the need to dismantle the myth that passenger rail should be financially self-sustaining in this way.

https://railway-news.com/the-economic-case-for-rail-investment-in-the-us/

Key highlights from the 2024 Public Transportation Fact Book and Ridership Policy Brief include: 

• Public transportation delivers a strong return on investment—$5 in economic output for every $1 invested. 
• More than 77 percent of federal transit funding flows to the private sector. 
• Transit riders can save more than $13,000 annually compared to driving. 

• Transit agencies provided 4.27 billion vehicle revenue miles of service in 2022, an increase from 2021. 
• The number of rail systems grew to 99, a 62 percent increase from 2002. 
• More than 1,600 zero-emission buses are now in service. 
• Transit accessibility for people with wheelchairs and other mobility challenges has improved dramatically, with bus accessibility reaching 99.8 percent in 2024, up from 95 percent in 2004. 

https://www.masstransitmag.com/management/press-release/55290558/american-public-transportation-association-aptas-new-report-reveals-us-transit-ridership-increasing-to-85-percent-of-pre-pandemic-levels?o_eid=5785D5873312E2J&rdx.ident[pull]=omeda|5785D5873312E2J&utm_campaign=CPS250515038&utm_medium=email&utm_source=MASS+Daily

 Ditching cars for rail Wisconsin Amtrak passengers find accessibility

“I’ll take this any day,” says one traveler who found solace on the train from Milwaukee to Chicago — a key route for the state’s Amtrak expansion. 

https://wisconsinwatch.org/2025/03/wisconsin-amtrak-train-rail-hiawatha-milwaukee-chicago-passengers/

 https://spectrumlocalnews.com/me/maine/traffic_and_transit/2025/03/06/passenger-rail-backers-tell-lawmakers--maine-needs-to-get-on-board--with-expansion-plans 

 Proponents see passenger expansion as a practical and necessary investment that would share the opportunity for economic development that rail delivers with more rural parts of Maine. At the same time, it would provide sustainable mass transportation for residents, workers, commuters, tourists heading for Acadia National Park or waterfront concerts in Bangor and students attending colleges in Lewiston, Waterville, Bangor and Orono. 

Read the article at: https://www.pressherald.com/2025/03/04/rail-advocates-renew-push-for-passenger-service-to-bangor/

 Though past efforts have failed, a broader coalition of Democratic and Republican lawmakers from urban and rural areas are backing this year’s proposal to study how to expand passenger rail service from Maine’s biggest city to the home of its flagship university. Read the whole article at: https://https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/03/03/politics/state-politics/how-a-new-push-for-rail-to-the-bangor-area-won-over-republican-skeptics-joam40zk0w/

 "As a for-profit company, Amtrak fails ... spectacularly. As a government agency, created half a century ago to carry out a public purpose recognized in law and in Supreme Court rulings, it is a spectacular success worth celebrating, supporting, and building up." 

https://usa.streetsblog.org/2025/02/10/op-ed-amtrak-isnt-profitable-and-thats-okay