Final Report - VHB.com

membership fee of $35. ZipCar members can reserve a vehicle for a fee of $7 per
hour or $60 per day with gasoline, maintenance, and insurance included.
The Bowdoin Shuttle. This shuttle service provides transportation to students
when classes are in session. The shuttle operates within an approximate 1-mile
radius of the campus center including downtown Brunswick, the Concord Coach
Lines bus stop on Bath Road, and many off-campus apartments. The Bowdoin
Shuttle also offers services on Friday and Saturday during the academic year for
trips to Freeport and Portland at a cost of $3.
Purpool. This pilot carpooling-network program is available only to Bowdoin
students, faculty, and staff. The program provides carpool-matching services and
assists with scheduling and communication within the carpool. The program also
calculates and tracks the amount of gasoline saved and miles not driven as a
result of the carpool.
Bowdoin Yellow Bike Club. This club grants its members access to any of the
Yellow Bikes provided throughout the campus for nonmotorized transportation.
Railroad Facilities
In recent years, the State of Maine has made investment in passenger and freight rail
a priority. To this end, the MaineDOT has made substantial investments along the
existing rail corridors in the area.
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The Amtrak Downeaster corridor is a 114-mile rail corridor between Boston,
Massachusetts, and Portland, Maine. In 2000, the portion of the line from Portland to
Boston was rehabilitated to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Class 3 and 4
standards to support passenger service. In 2010, the MaineDOT and the NNEPRA
received funding to extend passenger rail service north of Portland to Brunswick as a
continuation of the passenger rail service between Boston and Portland. The
extension includes track work, drainage engineering, surveying, and station design.
This $35 million project will rehabilitate 30 miles of existing rail to FRA Class 3
standards to extend the Amtrak Downeaster passenger rail service from Portland
north to Brunswick, with a station in Freeport.
Additionally, the State of Maine is investing in the upgrade of the 56-mile Rockland
Branch Railroad, which runs along Maine’s scenic coast, linking Brunswick and
Rockland. Freight service is provided along the Rockland Branch Railroad by the
Maine Eastern Railroad. The proposed upgrades are expected to improve freight-rail
operations as well as provide opportunities for the expansion of passenger rail
service beyond the current seasonal tourist service.
Bicyclist and Pedestrian Facilities
The Towns of Brunswick and Topsham currently have off-road bicyclist and
pedestrian paths and trails. Both towns also have plans to continue to expand the
Existing Conditions 23