BOSTON — The nation’s newest train service, Amtrak’s Downeaster service from Boston to Portland, recorded another stellar month in April by carrying a record 29,628 passengers — the largest single-month tally since the service began in December, the Boston Globe reports.
Officials at the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, which runs the service for Amtrak, said revenue for that same month was $443,077, another record.
April’s figures bolstered the service’s revenue figures so much that officials said they believe they will now surpass the one-year $3.3 million revenue projection and 325,000 passenger projection made when the service began.
Downeaster officials said the majority of passengers – 16,915 in April – made the entire trip from Boston’s North Station to Portland’s Transportation Center, located on I-295 southwest of the city’s downtown.
Thus far, the Downeaster has earned a total of $1.77 million in revenue. Cafe cars are having to be restocked sometimes twice in one trip. In addition, Amtrak officials are planning to add an additional car to each three-car train to help with the increasing demand.
Patricia Douglas, manager of planning and development for the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, said April’s jump was astounding ”based on the fact that we haven’t got into the summer season yet.” She said April’s school vacation week helped boost ridership numbers, with more than 1,000 people a day riding the service that week alone.
”We’re optimistic that the summer months are going to be just as busy as that,” Douglas said.
Amtrak officials are following the line’s early success closely. Jim Weinstein, senior vice president of Amtrak’s Northeast corridor, said such bursts in numbers happen with any new product, ”but our sense is that it has some great potential.”
What has made the service so popular still remains a relative mystery. A car ride from Boston to Portland takes about two hours, a little less than the train.
But then there are the amenities, such as the relaxed ride, and intermodal transport to Portland, making the trip completely car-free. Portland Metro bus service offers service from the station to downtown, and Douglas said a trolley tour service will begin running soon on weekends, leaving the station for a tour of Cape Elizabeth, Portland Head Lighthouse, and downtown and returning to the rail station, Douglas said.
Plans to expand the line to Brunswick are also in the works, with the Maine Department of Transportation conducting environmental studies on the link. And a new station at Old Orchard Beach will now open in late June or early July, Douglas said, not in early June as originally planned.
Some analysts think the service may be offering an alternative to driving and a way to avoid the often aggravating weekend traffic around the New Hampshire and Maine tolls as well as on the under-construction Maine Turnpike.
”It’s a trip where people value relaxation,” said the Conservation Law Foundation’s Seth Kaplan. ”It’s just simply a more civilized way to travel. And there’s pent-up demand for this. This is an option that people want.”
The fare may be another hook – $35 for a same day round trip or $21 one-way. Kids ages two through 16 ride for half price.