By next summer, you may be able to take the Amtrak Downeaster from Boston all the way to Rockland, Maine if another expansion of passenger rail service happens as planned.

The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority has announced a proposal to expand service to Rockland on weekends only during the summer months that they are calling the 'Downeaster Coastal Connection.'

The service could go into place as early as the summer of 2018 with trains travelling north of the Brunswick stop up to Rockland. The passenger route used to be run by Maine Eastern Railroad until operation of the state owned rails were granted to another railroad who chose not to run passenger trains.

The service would require very little financial investment since the rails have already been upgraded to handle passenger traffic, unlike the condition the line from Portland to Brunswick in prior to that expansion.

 

Next summer you could be riding the rails up to Rockland to go the Maine Lobster Festival.

 

More From 94.3 WCYY