MRG, Inc. / DownEast Rail
P.O. Box 5494, Augusta, ME 04332
A non-profit group working to enhance rail service in Maine
April 21, 2008 For Immediate Release
Contact: one of the following for reservations and schedule, specifying boarding location and MRG, Inc. meeting interest:
MRG, Inc., PO Box 5494, Augusta, ME 04332
Phone: 207-495-3498; email: jtsutton@prexar.com
The 470 Railroad Club,
Ron Cole, Trip Director,
37 Longwood Drive,
Portland, ME 04102,
Phone: 207-773-6330
TRAIN RIDE AND MEETING
MAY 10, 2008
MRG, Inc. (Maine Rail Group) and The 470 Railroad Club of Portland are partners again this year in chartering a Maine Eastern Railroad passenger train. It will run from Rockland to Augusta and return, with stops to board and discharge passengers at Wiscasset, Bath, Brunswick and Hallowell.
The trip covers the entire Rockland Branch where Maine Eastern now operates scheduled seasonal passenger service, plus the ?Lower Road? between Brunswick and Augusta, which has seen little rail service in recent years. The train will lay over in Hallowell, where MRG, Inc. will hold its annual meeting at the City Hall Auditorium. All interested passengers are invited to the meeting, while others are free to enjoy Hallowell?s restaurants and other points of interest within easy walking distance until the train leaves for the return trip. Much of the route between Brunswick and Augusta lies within sight of the Kennebec River, with its rich history of early settlement, log drives granite industry, ice harvesting, fishing and shipping.
Patricia Quinn, Executive Director, Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority is the invited guest speaker for the meeting in Hallowell. She will discuss passenger rail as an economic engine with regional impacts that dwarf fare box revenues, future funding for Downeaster operations, and proposed Downeaster service extension to Brunswick.
Passengers will not board or leave the train at Augusta because tracks to the former station platform are now inaccessible due to gravel cover for temporary automobile parking. However, as interest builds to extend Downeaster service from Portland to Brunswick, the vision of regular passenger service to Augusta becomes that much closer to reality. Our trip offers a glimpse into that future.
Public participation is welcome for these events, subject to available seating. Reserve early! Price for the train trip is $50 per person for all boarding locations. Optional box lunches are $12 each. Please contact one of the following for reservations and schedule, specifying boarding location and MRG, Inc. meeting interest:
MRG, Inc., PO Box 5494, Augusta, ME 04332
Phone: 207-495-3498; email: jtsutton@prexar.com
The 470 Railroad Club, Ron Cole, Trip Director, 37 Longwood Drive
Portland, ME 04102
Phone: 207-773-6330
Always expect a train!
Gordon V. Page, Sr.
Vice President, Director of Passenger Operations
Maine Eastern Railroad
4 Union Street
Rockland, ME 04841
207.596.6770
gpage@maineeasternrailroad.com
www.maineeasternrailroad.com
