The Portland City Council is set to vote late next month on relocating the Amtrak Downeaster station from Thompson’s Point to a new site near St. John Street.
Portland Mayor Mark Dion says the city actually has no say in where the new train station will be located.
“I think people think, okay, we have the final say, we have some sort of veto power,” said Dion. “That’s not the case. The Federal Railroad Administration has selected site three, whether or not we agree with that selection will be revealed in a vote that’ll come up in two weeks.”
Federal funding is providing $48 million for a new Amtrak station between St. John Street and Mercy Hospital. The project is estimated to cost roughly $60 million, with a proposed $12 million match in state funding.
The city’s choice for the new station was farther down St. John Street at Union Station Plaza. City Staff says that location would provide better bicycle and pedestrian access and better public transit connections, noting that it’s closer to Congress Street.
Mayor Dion sees the city council function as providing proper amenities at the federal government’s chosen location.
“Our job now as a council should be what I call the amenities question,” Dion said. “How do we fully develop that parcel so it meets city standards and what our consumers would expect from a rail station.”
The council will still vote on December 21 between three options: the current location at Thompson’s Point, the city’s chosen location and the proposal from the Federal Railroad Administration.
