Brunswick, Maine, taking delviery of cwr to upgrade passegner line

Written by jrood

Wiscasset Raceway can have Oxxfest 2010. Brunswick will host its own celebration of heavy metal on August 2, the Brunswick Times Record reports. Real heavy metal. Very heavy metal.

In anticipation of the
extension of passenger rail service from Portland to Brunswick, the Northern
New England Passenger Rail Authority will oversee delivery of "continuous
welded rail" track along railroad lines leading into downtown Brunswick on August
2, according to a Brunswick Police Department release.

The delivery, tangible
evidence that the long-awaited return of passenger rail to Brunswick is moving
closer to reality, will trigger a celebration among dignitaries and rail
aficionados at Maine Street Station. It also will cause traffic diversions on
Union, Stanwood and Church streets.

The celebration,
scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. at Maine Street Station, is likely to feature a
Brunswick public appearance by Gov. John Baldacci, according to a release from
its organizers. State and local officials will join Baldacci and
representatives of the Federal Railroad Administration, Maine Department of
Transportation, Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority and Pan Am
Railway – which owns the tracks – for the event.

The downtown development
at the site of Brunswick’s former train station includes a platform for rail
passengers to climb aboard and disembark from Amtrak Downeaster trains expected
to begin making runs to Brunswick by 2012. A visitors’ center, operated by the
Brunswick Downtown Association, also awaits the arrival of rail passengers to
town.

A $35-million federal
grant announced in late January provides funding for the proposed passenger
rail expansion to Brunswick. Current plans call for rail between Portland and
Boston to be upgraded to accommodate Amtrak Downeaster passenger trains, which
already connect Portland to Boston.

The rail upgrade aims to
make it possible for passenger trains to travel up the coast from Portland,
stopping in Freeport and Brunswick. The Maine Eastern Railroad currently
operates excursion trains from Brunswick to Rockland, with stops available in
Bath and Wiscasset.

The transport train is
approximately 1,650 feet in length and will be blocking Union Street, Stanwood
Street and Church Road at various time periods during the morning and early
afternoon. After completing its delivery in the Union Street vicinity, the
train will head west to Stanwood Street and Church Road, where more new rails
will be delivered.

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