Brunswick resident Heather D. Martin wants to know what’s on your mind; email her at heather@heatherdmartin.com.
It is no secret that I am in favor of all things train.
I have certainly been rather verbal about it, and even written my thoughts down here before as well. I like trains.
Some of it – OK, a lot of it – is nostalgic. My dad was a train buff. More than once I was abandoned (temporarily) at a restaurant as a kid because he heard a train in the distance and dashed out the door, pausing only long enough to grab his ever-present camera.
Most of it, though, is rooted in practicality. Trains make sense. Trains can carry lots of passengers, or cargo, or both, long distances at decent speed. If they are trains in Europe or Japan, or most anywhere else, they can do so with astounding speed – as well as efficiency and comfort to boot.
Here? Well, hmm.
I don’t really know why, but despite having been pioneers in its creation, we’ve never really perfected our rail system. Some folks say it is because of our love of the automobile. That makes sense, I suppose. Cars afford us privacy, a sense of autonomy and our own little universe. There is something very quintessentially “American” about the car and, I admit, I like having my air to myself. Especially in pandemic times.
However, given the availability of gas, the heavy metals required for electric, traffic jams, etc., it makes sense to go with the rail. Good, clean, efficient, safe rail.
I could go on for a bit here about the deplorable state of neglected rail lines that have led to a recent spate of catastrophic environmental and health disasters, but I’ll save that for another day.
When I was commuting once a week to Boston for school, I relied upon the train. In truth, because of all the stops along the way, it took longer than driving. Nearly an hour longer. However, it was a bargain when compared to gas and parking and instead of sitting in Boston rush hour traffic, I was sitting in a comfy chair, reading my book and sipping tea.
Imagine my glee, then, when the Bangor Daily News reported that a train going from Boston to Montreal, with stops in Maine, is in the works. Count me in and where do I buy a ticket?
Obviously, it is not a done deal yet. There are still funds to be raised and plenty of planning hurdles to be cleared, but at least it is being actively discussed and worked on. I count that as a win.
The train would wend its way up from the Boston into our fair state, over to Vermont, and then across the border to Montreal. Passengers would dine (yes, I say dine because I presume – pay attention, rail companies – that whoever is designing this is taking a tip from the grand old trains of Europe and creating an elegant experience) and sleep on the train, arriving in Canada having had a delightful Agatha Christie-esque journey.
Having just experienced the soul-crushing nightmare that is air travel these days, my desire to relax into a more elegant way to travel is renewed and I think trains are in the perfect moment to capitalize on it.
Please, please make this train a reality, and several more hopefully. Make the trains lovely and swift, clean and comfortable. By all means, add on an observation car, the kind with the domed glass ceiling like they have in Alaska. Let us renew our collective love of adventure with elegant and eco-friendly travel options. I’ll keep my suitcase at the ready.
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