Downeaster ready for Brunswick; Starts Nov. 1 | News

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Amtrak's Downeaster is ready to roll to northward to Freeport and Brunswick, Maine.

The Boston-to-Portland service becomes a Boston-to-Brunswick service effective Nov. 1. Patricia Quinn of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority says tickets go on sale on Oct. 1.

Banners making the announcement are going up in stations along the route on Wednesday.

Expanding the service required improvements to more than 30 miles of rail, rehabilitation of 36 crossings and constructions of two station platforms. Remaining track work will be completed in weeks.

The service is coming off a record year with 528,292 passengers. Initially, two of the five daily roundtrips between Portland and Boston will travel to Brunswick. The expanded service is expected to add 36,000 more passengers each year.